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BR  125  .H36  1855 
Hague,  William,  1808-1887 
Christianity  and 
statesmanship 


-^ 


CHRISTIANITY 


STATESMANSHIP: 


KINDRED   TOPICS. 


WILLIAM'HAGUE,   D.D. 


NEW    YORK: 

EDWAKD   H.   Fletcher/ 

117    NASSAU    STREET. 

1855. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1854,  by 

EDWAED  H.  FLETCHER, 

in  the  Clerk's  Oflace  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern 
District  of  New  York. 


\\Te:. 

■N. 

■'•> 

CONTENTS 


Page. 

L— CHRISTIANITY  AND  STATESMANSHIP,          -  1 

II.— THE  HARVEST  OF  TRADITIONISM,         -  45 

in.— A  STATE  CHURCH,      -             -             -             -  50 

IV.— DUTY  TO  &"d<)VERNMENT,        -  64 

v.— SLAVERY,         -             -             -             -             -  68 

VI.— MAHOMMEDAN  AND  CHRISTIAN  POWERS,  61 

VIL— COMMERCE  AND  SLAVERY,          -            -  64 

VIII.— GOD  AND  THE  CONSTITUTION,                       -  68 

IX.— CHRISTIANITY  AND  THE  TURKISH  POWER,  1Z  t^ 

X.— THE  PRINCIPALITIES,              -             -             -  111 

XL— ORIGIN  OF  THE  HUNGARIANS,   -           -  118 

XIL— MAHOMMED'S  BRIGANTINES,              -             -  120 

Xin.— CHRISTIANITY  AND  TRADITIONISM,      -  123 

XIV.— RIGHT  OF  PRIVATE  JUDGMENT,       -             -  169 

XV.— GIBBON'S  GREAT  MISTAKE,          -            -    %  163 

XVL— BEAUSOBRE  ON  THE  FATHERS,        -  166 


IV                                         CONTENTS. 
XVIL— THE  BIBLE  ALONE,             -            -            -  169 
XVIIL— CONVERSIOIS^S  TO  ROME,        -             -             -  174 
XIX— THE  RELIGIOUS  SENTIMENT,        -            -  178 
XX.— CHRISTIAN  GREATNESS  IN  THE  APOSTLE,  183 
XXL— CHRISTIAN   GREATNESS    IN   THE  MISSION- 
ARY,          -            -            -            -            -  201 
XXIL— CHRISTIAN    GREATNESS    IN    THE    STATES- 

JSIAN,  -  -  -  -  -  253 

XXIIL— CHRISTIAN  GREATNESS  IN  THE  CITIZEN,  277 

XXIV.— CHRISTIANITY  AND  PAUPERISM,      -  -  307 

XXV.— CHRISTIANITY  AND  LEBERAL  GIVING,  333 

XXVL— CHRISTIAN  UNION,       -  -  -  -  351 

XXVIL— CHRISTIANITY  AND  SLAVERY.    -  -  373 


% 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  STATESMANSHIP. 


PSALM   II, 


1.  Why  do  the  heathen  rage,  aud  the 
people  imagine  a  vain  thing? 

2.  The  kings  of  the  earth  set  them- 
selves, aud  the  rulers  take  .counsel  to- 
gether, against  the  Lord,  and  against 
his  anointed,  saying, 

3.  Let  us  break  their  bands  asurkder, 
and  cast  away  their  cords  from  us. 

4.  He  that  eitteth  in  the  heavens 
shall  laugh ;  the  Lord  shall  have  them 
in  derision. 

5.  Then  shall  he  speak  unto  them  in 
his  wrath,  and  vex  them  in  his  sore  dis- 
pleasure. 

6.  Yet  have  I  set  my  King  upon  my 
holy  hill  of  Zion. 

7.  I  will  declare  the  decree  :  the  Lord 
hath  said  unto  me,  Thou  art  my  Son ; 
this  d.'iy  have  I  begotten  thee. 


8.  Ask  of  me,  and  I  shall  give  thee 
the  heaihen  for  thine  inheritance,  and 
the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  thy 
possession. 

9.  Thou  slialt  break  thorn  with  a  rod 
of  iron  ;  thou  shall  dash  them  in  piecea 
like  a  potter's  vessel. 

10.  Be  wise  now  therefore,  O  ye 
kings :  be  instructed,  ye  judges  of  the 
earth. 

11.  Serve  the  Lord  with  fear,  and  re- 
joice with  trembling. 

12.  Kiss  the  Son,  lest  he  be  angry, 
and  ye  perish  from  the  way  when  his 
wrath  is  kindled  but  a  little.  Blessed 
are  all  they  that  put  their  trust  in 
him. 


Tbis  spirit-Btirring  Psalm  is  a  grand  old  mission- 
ary chant,  and  belongs  to  that  class  of  Psalms  that 
are  denominated  Messanic,  on  account  of  its  cele- 
brating the  advent,  the  character,  and  the  destina- 
tion of  the  Messiah.     It  speaks  of  him  expressly; 


Christianity  and  Statesmanship. 


and  this  fact  would  impress  more  strongly  every 
ear  accustomed  to  the  English  tongue,  if  the  word 
anointed  had  given  place  to  the  word  Messiah  as  a 
proper  name;  for  the  Hebrew  term  Messiah,  the 
Greek  term  Christ,  and  the  English  term  "  anoint- 
ed,'' have  the  same  signification.  The  sacred  oil 
of  consecration  which  was  poured  on  the  head  of 
Prophet,  Priest,  and  King  gave  rise  to  the  use  of 
the  word  as  a  proper  name  when  applied  to  that 
expected  Deliverer  who  was  to  unite  all  these 
characters  in  himself.  This  Psalm,  with  several 
others,  forms  a  part  of  that  body  of  prophecy 
which  from  age  to  age  threw  gleams  of  light 
athwart  the  moral  gloom  that  enshrouded  the 
earth,  and  nourished  the  hope  of  Israel  that  a 
brighter  day  would  dawn  at  the  appointed  time. 
Who  can  tell  how  often  it  was  read  in  the  closet 
and  in  the  family,  how  often  it  was  chanted  in  the 
temple  or  the  synagogue,  and  what  earnest  long- 
ings it  awakened  in  many  a  heart  to  see  that  day 
"  which  kings  and  prophets  waited  for,"  and 
which,  at  last,  was  hailed  amid  the  songs  of  angels 
by  the  humble  shepherds  of  Bethlehem  !  It  was 
often  quoted  by  the  Apostles,  it  was  interpreted  to 
them  by  the  scenes  which  their  times  unfolded, 
and  it  strengthened  their  faith  as  they  saw  that 
the  opposition  which  they  encountered  for  their 
Master's  sake  had  been  so  clearly  foretold.  How 
touchingly  did  they  introduce  it  into  their  devotions 
amid  the  stormy  trials  which  Luke  has  described 
in  the  fourth  chapter  of  the  Acts !  The  prophetic 
view  of  the  Psalm  reaches  onward  far  beyond  our 


Christianity  and  Statesmanship.  9 


times  to  the  ultimate  triumph  of  Christianity ;  and 
if  understood  and  felt  by  us,  it  will  animate  our 
zeal,  and  will  enable  us  to  discern  on  the  front  of 
the  darkest  cloud  some  trace  of  the  bow  of  promise, 
to  see  it  now  and  then  spanning  a  threatening  sky 
with  its  arch  of  beauty,  and  shining  forth  as  the 
sign  of  the  covenant  which  God  has  established 
with  his  Son  that  this  revolted  world  shall  be^made 
his  own  spiritual  empire. 

It  may  aid  our  conceptions  of  the  spirit  and 
power  of  this  Psalm,  to  consider  its  structure  as 
designed  of  old  to  be  chanted  in  the  temple- 
worship.  We  may  notice  the  adaptation  of  the 
different  parts  to  the  end  in  view  as  we  read  the 
whole  in  accordance  with  the  version  of  Dr.  J. 
Pye  Smith,  which  has  the  advantage  of  preserving 
much  of  that  regularity  of  rythm  which  belongs 
to  Hebrew  poetry. 

The  second  Psalm  was  a  responsive  song,  in- 
tended to  be  sung  by  different  choruses.  The  first 
chorus  chanted  the  first  two  verses. 

Why  rage  the  Heathen — and  the  peoples  contijuj^  vanity  ?    (jp^TyVt 
The  kings  of  earth  have  set  up  themselves, 
And  the  princes  are  firmly  leagued  together 
Against  Jehovah  and  against  his  Messiah. 

The  third  verse  was  sung  by  another  chorus,  rep- 
resenting the  rebellious  'governments. 

Let  us  burst  their  bands  asunder 
And  cast  their  cords  away  from  us. 

The  fourth  and  fifth  verses  were  sung  by  another 
or  third  chorus. 


10  Christianity  and  Statesmanship. 


Sitting  in  the  heavens  he  will  laugh ; 
The  Lord  will  have  them  in  derision  ; 
Then  will  he  rebuke  them  in  his  wrath, 
And  in  his  sore  displeasure  he  will  vex  them. 

The  sixth  verse  was  sung  by  one  speaking  in  the 
name  of  God. 

But  I  have  anointed  my  king 

Upon  Zion,  the  mountain  of  my  sanctuary. 

The  seventh,  eighth,  and  ninth  verses  were  sung 
by  one  in  the  name  of  the  Messiah. 

I  will  declare  the  decree  :  Jehovah  hath  said  unto  me, 

My  Son  art  thou ;  I  this  day  have  begotten  thee. 

Ask  from  me  and  I  will  give  the  nations  thine  inheritance, 

And  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  thy  possession. 

Thou  shalt  break  them  with  an  iron  scepter ; 

As  the  vessels  of  a  potter  shalt  thou  dash  them. 

The  tenth,  eleventh,  and  twelth  verses  were  sung 
by  the  choruses  combined. 

Now,  therefore,  ye  kings,  be  wise  ; 

Be  instructed,  ye  judges  of  the  earth  ; 

Serve  Jehovah  with  reverence 

And  rejoice  with  trembling. 

I)o  homage  to  the  Son  lest  he  be  angry, 

And  ye  perish  by  the  way  ; 

When  his  wrath  is  but  a  little  kindled. 

Blessed  are  all  who  trust  in  Him. 

What  profound  emotions  must  have  been  aroused 
by  such  a  service  as  this  in  the  breasts  of  those 
Hebrew  assemblies  which  were  anciently  gathered 
upon  the  Mount  of  Zion  within  the  walls  of  the 
temple !  What  glowing  hopes  blended  with  solenan 
awe  touching  the  contested  fortunes  of  their 
Messiah's  reign!  With  these  mingled  feelings, 
what  cause   have  we   even   now  to   sympathize! 


Christianity  and  Statesmlanship.  11 

Let  us  open  our  eyes  to  the  lights  and  shadows  of 
these  scenes,  which  even  the  old  seers  under  the 
guidance  of  divine  inspiration  descried  but  dimly 
in  the  distance,  which  are  yet  dramatically  unfold- 
ing themselves,  while  each  successive  act  discloses 
its  relation  to  a  far-reaching  plan  and  a  grand  ulti- 
mate issue.  Two  ideas  stand  out  in  bold  relief 
upon  this  page  of  lyrical  prophecy.  To  these  let 
us  turn  our  attention.     They  are — 

I.  The  chakactee  of  the  opposition  organized 
against  the  kingdom  of  the  Messiah. 

II.  The  certainty  of  its  final  defeat. 

It  is  very  remarkable  that  while  the  ancient 
Jewish  prophets  described  the  expected  "  Desire 
of  Nations,"  who  was  to  appear  in  the  "  fullness  of 
time,"  in  the  most  enchanting  aspect,  they  speak 
of  him  also  as  being  destined  to  meet  the  most 
wily,  complicated,  and  deadly  opposition.  Al- 
though they  delighted  to  employ  the  fine  graphical 
powers  with  which  they  were  gifted  in  picturing 
him  to  view  as  the  Prince  of  Peace,  meek,  lowly, 
*'  altogether  lovely,"  as  the  messenger  of  truth  into 
whose  lips  peace  was  breathed  from  the  fullness  of 
the  divine  nature,  as  aiming  only  at  spiritual 
victories  and  conquering  the  world  by  light  and 
love,  yet  they  declare  that  he  shall  be  despised 
and  rejected  of  men,  the  dread  of  kings,  the  butt 
of  malice  ;  and  they  prepare  the  mind  of  the  reader 
to  expect  that  his  followers  would  be  hated  among 
all  nations  for  his  name's  sake. 

Thus  we  know  it  was  from  the  beginning.  The 
extraordinary  star  which  shone  over  Judea  led  the 


1^  Ghribtianity  and  Statesmanship. 

Persian  Magi  to  the  land  of  promise,  and  as  they 
traversed  the  metropolis  inquiring  for  the  young 
child  whose  birth  the  star  had  signalized,  this 
*'  sign  from  heaven,"  instead  of  arousing  Herod  to 
seek  a  Saviour  for  himself,  only  quickened  into 
life  the  fear  of  an  infant  rival  whom  he  sought  to 
destroy.  Thirty-three  years  after  that  event  we 
see  another  Herod  who  had  declared  himself  a  foe 
to  Pilate,  suddenly  changing  his  position  and  be- 
coming the  friend  of  the  Koman  governor  by 
means  of  a  common  co-operation  with  the  Jewish 
Sanhedrim  in  bringing  Jesus  to  the  cross. 

Why  is  this  ?  exclaims  the  inspired  Psalmist,  as 
with  prophetic  ken  he  looks  through  the  vista  of 
the  future — why  do  the  Heathen  rage  against  the 
celestial  messenger  ?  Why  are  the  people's  leaders 
leagued  to  baffle  the  plans  of  their  Deliverer? 
Why  do  the  rulers  wage  war  against  Him  who 
comes  to  preach  peace  and  to  dispose  the  hearts 
of  men  to  order  and  justice?  'No  reason  is  liere 
assigned.  If  all  the  reigning  dynasties  were  sum- 
moned to  answer  at  the  bar  of  Him  who  is  judge 
of  all  the  earth,  how  could  they  plead  with  Him  or 
justify  themselves!  The  case  admits  of  no  ade- 
quate explanation  except  that  which  is  found  in 
the  rebellious  spirit  of  that  "carnal  mind  which  is 
enmity  against  God,  and  not  subject  to  his  law." 
Selfishness,  in  the  form  of  ambition,  the  pride  of 
place,  or  lust  of  power,  dreads  being  disturbed  in 
its  long  enjoyed  possessions.  It  scorns  tlie  rule 
of  righteousness.  It  turns  away  with  disgust  from 
tliat  humane  religion  of  the  Messiah  whicli  asserts 


Ohkistianity  and  Statesmanship.  13 


for  the  poor,  the  weak,  and  the  down-trodden  the 
inalienable  rights  of  humanity.  It  seeks  to  sub- 
jugate man  and  nature,  God  and  heaven,  to  itself. 
It  recognizes  the  religious  sentiment  in  the  human 
soul  only  to  make  that  element  of  power  subservi- 
ent to  its  schemes  of  complete  supremacy.  It  is 
the  life  and  soul,  the  inspiring  genius  of  nearly  all 
of  the  political  governments  of  the  world,  which 
have  ever  assumed  the  right  to  break  the  bands  of 
divine  legislation  at  their  pleasure  and  to  ally 
themselves  to  systems  of  religion  which  allow  their 
thrones  of  iniquity  to  claim  fellowship  with  the 
Almighty. 

•  ISTow,  keeping  in  view  the  lofty  expectations 
touching  the  dignity  and  power  of  the  Messiah 
cherished  from  age  to  age  by  the  Jewish  people, 
is  it  not  a  very  remarkable,  yea,  a  wonderful  thing, 
that-  this  Psalm,  which  was  sung  for  centuries  in 
their  public  worship,  so  clearly  proclaimed  in 
grand  and  solemn  verse  the  terrible  truth,  that  the 
Statesmanship  of  the  w^orld  would  set  itself  in  array 
against  that  divinely  anointed  King  in  whom  their 
hopes  were  centered;  that  it  should  not  merely 
anticipate  the  truth  that  the  governments  of  the 
earth  w^ould  be  firmly  leagued  together  against  the 
benign  aims  of  Christ's  kingdom,  but  that  it 
should  expatiate  on  this  one  fact  as  if  it  had  been 
seen  to  involve  the  chief  historical  feature  of  the 
Christian  era.  This  prediction  is  so  directly  op- 
posed to  aught  that  human  reason  would  have  sug- 
gested touching  the  fortunes  of  a  kingdom  to  be 
estnblished  on  earth  by  the  power  of  God,  and  yet 


14  Christianity  and  Statesmanship. 

it  has  been  so  fully  verified  by  the  whole  course  of 
events,  that  we  can  not  but  discern  in  it  the  breath- 
ings of  a  divine  inspiration.  If  we  retrace  the 
history  of  Christianity  for  more  than  eighteen 
centuries,  how  strangely  do  its  successive  scenes 
fulfill  this  prophecy  which  had  been  sounded  out 
with  all  the  majesty  of  liturgic  service  for  a  thou- 
sand years  before  the  advent  of  Him  whose  triumph 
it  celebrates  !  Surely  in  this  profound  accordance 
of  prophecy  and  history  there  is  much  that  is 
worthy  of  attention.  It  will  justify,  undoubtedly, 
a  more  ample  investigation  than  that  which  the 
limits  of  these  pages  allow  us  to  attempt. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  prophecies  which 
set  forth  our  Lord's  public  character  exhibited 
chiefly  those  mild  and  winning  qualities  which  arc 
always  suggested  to  the  mind  by  his  distinguishing 
title,  *'The  Prince  of  Peace."  It  was  said  of  Ilim 
by  the  prince  of  prophets :  "  He  hath  done  no  vio- 
lence ;"  "  He  shall  not  strive  nor  cry,  nor  cause  his 
voice  to  be  heard  in  the  streets."  He  was  to  be 
anointed  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor.  He 
w^ould  not  "break  the  bruised  reed;"  the  smoking 
wick  he  would  not  extinguish,  but  would  fan  the 
dying  spark  into  flame,  and  bring  forth  truth  unto 
victory.  He  was  to  be  distinguished  by  meekness 
and  gentleness  as  a  minister  of  grace  unto  men. 

This  ideal  character  he  fully  realized.  The 
grandeur  of  his  miracles  was  subordinated  to  the 
spiritual  aims  of  the  gospel  which  he  preached. 
That  gospel  was  hailed  with  a  popular  welcome  ; 
vast  multitudes  followed  him,  not  only  in  the  city. 


Christianity  and  Statesmanship.  15 

but  throughout  the  country;  crowds  hung  with 
rapture  on  his  lips;  "the  common  people  heard 
him  gladly."  Where,  then,  arose  the  deadly  op- 
position that  he  encountered  ?  It  was  not  from  the 
masses  of  the  People,  but  from  the  Government, 
administered  by  the  Sanhedrim,  the  princes  and 
priests  of  Judea.  They,  having  subordinated  the 
institutions  of  religion  to  their  secular  ends,  and 
made  these  the  measure  of  truth,  looked  with  ma- 
lignant wrath  upon  the  signs  of  that  success  with 
which  the  Messiah  gained  the  ear  of  the  nation ; 
they  trembled  at  the  responses  which  the  public 
heart  gave  back  to  his  teachings,  and  the  immedi- 
ate aim  of  all  their  schemes  was  to  cope  with  the 
power  of  his  popularity.  How  often  would  they 
have  laid  hands  on  him  but  that  "  they  feared  the 
people."  It  was  this  terror  that  long  held  the  gov- 
ernment in  check,  and  it  was  overcome  at  last 
only  by  the  aid  of  the  traitor  who  delivered  up 
his  Master  amid  the  darkness  of  the  night  in  the 
silent  recesses  of  Gethsemane. 

The  inspired  Apostles  followed  in  that  Master's 
steps ;  they  preached  the  same  gospel ;  the  popular 
masses  hailed  it  with  a  welcome  ;  but  the  organized 
government,  mad  upon  the  idolatry  of  power,  dread- 
ing change,  believing  in  nothing  but  what  would 
subserve  their  low  aims,  tracked  the  disciples  whith- 
ersoever they  went,  like  beasts  of  prey  thirsting  for 
blood.  It  was  easy  for  these  preachers  to  gain  au- 
dience with  the  people  until  the  government  of  the 
people  cried  them  down  as  rebels  and  revolutionists, 
making  impious  war  upon  the  established  religion. 


16  Christianity  and  Statesmanship. 

This  remark  applies  to  the  Roman  Empire  gener- 
ally, which  took  within  its  scope  nearly  all  of  the 
civilized  world.  It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  Chris- 
tianity gained  wider  conquests  under  the  reign  of 
the  bad  emperors  than  it  did  under  the  reign  of 
those  who  were  comparatively  good  ;  for  the  former 
were  so  much  engrossed  with  their  vicious  pleas- 
ures, that  they  were  not  inclined  to  interfere  with 
religious  liberty ;  while  the  latter,  devoted  to  a 
staid  conservatism,  intent  on  preserving  their  polit- 
ical power,  watching  against  whatsoever  might  be 
productive  of  any  moral  change,  and  jealous  of  the 
rising  Church,  which  did  not,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
acknowledge  the  civil  ruler  as  its  head,  became 
themselves  the  projectors  and  agents  of  the  most 
relentless  persecution.  The  tyranny  of  Caligula, 
for  instance,  which  was  at  once  the  scourge  of  the 
empire  and  the  disgrace  of  paganism,  left  larger 
scope  for  the  spread  of  the  gospel  than  did  the  more 
statesman-like  government  of  the  watchful  Anto- 
nines.  But  when  the  emperor  and  court  of  Rome 
became  nominally  Christianized,  the  case  seemed 
to  have  been  reversed ;  but  that  change  was  more 
an  appearance  than  a  reality.  As  might  have  been 
expected,  the  Christianity  that  was  established  by 
law  was  not  the  simple,  spiritual  Christianity  of  the 
New  Testament,  but  a  cold,  formal,  worldly,  polit- 
ical religion  which  was  not  worth  the  blood  of  mar- 
tyrdom to  propagate ;  and  it  was  not  very  widely 
propagated  in  the  long  run.  It  had  in  it  no  true 
missionary  spirit.  From  the  days  of  Constantine 
to  the  era  of  modern  missions,  Christianity  o^ained 


Christianity  and  Statesmanship.  17 

scarcely  a  single  new  realm  beyond  the  bounds  of 
Constantine's  dominions ;  there  her  career  was 
checked.  He  attempted  to  spread  Christianity  in 
Persia;  but  his  missionaries  were  regarded  by  Sa- 
por, the  Persian  king,  as  political  spies,  and  there- 
fore were  put  to  death  by  royal  decree.  Throughout 
the  vast  extent  of  India,  China,  Africa,  and  the  isles 
of  the  sea,  the  gloom  of  heathenism  brooded  over 
the  millions,  and  until  a  very  recent  period  its  fatal 
blight  has  rested  upon  the  dense  mass  of  successive 
generations  without  a  sign  of  relief.  The  Christian 
government  of  Kome,  so  called,  has  been  employed 
meanwhile  in  preserving  order  at  home,  and  in  per- 
secuting unto  death  all  those  who  would  not  mold 
their  religious  system  into  conformity  with  her  can- 
ons, nor  worship  the  images  of  wood  and  gold  which 
she  has  set  up.  Alas  !  what  untold  thousands  have 
her  courts  and  inquisitions  doomed  to  die  as  her- 
etics, because  they  acknowledged  Christ  alone  as 
King,  and  his  inspired  Word  alone  as  the  standard 
of  their  faith.  The  plaintive  wails  of  the  humble 
Madiai,  imprisoned  by  the  most  liberal  government 
of  Italy  for  the  crime  of  reading  the  Scriptures  to 
their  neighbors,  have  not  yet  died  away  upon  the 
ears  of  Christendom,  and  attest  more  mightily  than 
volumes  of  argument  the  unwelcome  truth,  that  the 
Pome  of  "the  dark  ages"  and  the  Pome  of  the 
nineteenth  century  possess  the  same  stern,  relent- 
less, unchanging  and  unchangeable  character. 

]N^or  does  the  spirit  of  these  remarks  find  a  verifi- 
cation only  in  the  government  of  Pome,  irnperial 
or  papal,  but,  also,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  in 


18  Christianity  and  Statesmanship. 


every  Protestant  government  under  which  Chris- 
tianity has  been  defined  by  the  State,  established 
by  law,  and  defended  by  the  sword.  Such  a  relig- 
ion is  very  different  in  all  its  outward  manifestations 
from  the  religion  of  the  Apostles ;  the  Church  is 
subordinated  to  the  State,  to  the  Priesthood,  to  Pol- 
itics, Wealth,  and  Worldliness ;  and  we  see  that  the 
Messiah  does  not  march  before  such  a  Church  to 
give  it  victory ;  for,  as  Macaulay  has  justly  ob- 
served, Protestant  Christianity  has  gained  scarcely 
an  inch  of  ground  in  Europe  as  yet  for  more  than 
three  hundred  years  since  the  death  of  Luther.* 
Even  the  Protestant  government  of  England,  with 
her  constitutional  monarch  at  the  head  of  the 
Church,  has,  in  conformity  with  the  maxims  of 
pagan  policy,  maintained  Popery  in  Canada  and 
Idolatry  in  India,  while  from  that  latter  heathen 
country  she  expelled  her  own  Christian  subjects, 
when  Carey  and  his  associates  first  entered  there 
upon  the  work  of  missions,  lest  they  should  disturb 
the  quiet  of  her  Eastern  Empire. f  By  a  singular 
combination  of  events,  it  turned  out  that  the  Danish 
government  was  pleased  to  protect  them  at  her 
little  settlement  of  Serampore ;  and  yet  that  same 
government  has,  since  then,  imprisoned,  in  Den- 
mark itself,  ministers  of  the  gospel  who,  in  faith 
and  in  spirit,  are  the  brethren  of  those  very  mis- 
sionaries. In  regard  to  the  policy  of  both  those 
great  states,  we  have  reason  to  rejoice  that  a  brighter 


*  See  Appendix,  A,  p.  45. 
t  See  Appendix,  B,  p.  60. 


Christianity  and  Statesmanship.  19 

day  has  already  dawned.  JSTevertheless,  even  at 
this  hour,  throughout  the  most  of  European  Chris- 
tendom, the  kings  are  "  setting  themselves  up,"  and 
the  rulers  are  taking  counsel  against  the  supremacy 
of  the  Messiah,  and  acting  in  sleepless  concert  to 
baffle  every  plan  for  the  evangelization  of  the' people. 
The  companies  of  humble  exiles  daily  passing  by 
our  doors  to  seek  a  home  in  Wisconsin,  Minnesota, 
and  the  neighboring  States — the  groups  of  men  and 
women  banished  from  their  native  lands  for  the 
crime  of  being  baptized  on  a  profession  of  their 
faith,  and  of  being  united  to  churches  unconnected 
with  a  state-establishment  —  bear  mournful  testi- 
mony that  the  storm  of  transatlantic  persecution  for 
conscience'  sake  has  been  but  little  softened  by  the 
spirit  of  the  age,  that  it  is  sweeping  along  its  path 
of  desolation  at  the  height  of  its  power. 

If,  in  connection  with  this  subject,  we  transfer 
our  thoughts  to  this  continent,  we  are  struck  by  the 
similarity  of  aspect  which  its  history  exhibits. 
From  the  discovery  of  America  by  Columbus  until 
the  dawn  of  our  national  birthday,  nowhere  in  this 
hemisphere,  with  a  very  narrow  territorial  excep- 
tion, was  there  allowed  a  place  of  quiet  and  free- 
dom for  those  who  would  own  no  Lord  of  conscience 
but  Christ,  no  judge  in  religion  but  his  Word.  As 
it  was  in  this  respect,  it  is  now  throughout  South 
America,  where  you,  my  brethren,  would  be  im- 
prisoned or  killed  for  attempting  to  form  yourselves 
into  a  church  according  to  the  command  of  Christ, 
however  peaceably  you  might  order  your  lives  in 
civil  things.     It  is  there,  under  the  supremacy  of 


20  Christianity  and  Statesmanship. 

Papal  rule,  as  it  is  in  many  parts  of  Protestant 
Europe,  the  governments  will  freely  license  drink- 
ing shops,  theaters,  brothels,  and  gambling-houses  ; 
but  a  church  and  ministry,  formed  simply  to  diffuse 
the  gospel,  would  be  persecuted  unto  bonds  and 
death. 

The  more  closely  we  survey  the  records  of  the 
past,  from  the  point  of  view  furnished  by  the  JS'ew 
Testament,  the  more  clearly  will  we  see  that  the 
gloomy  landscape  which  this  prophetic  Psalm  de- 
picts, with  all  its  somber  hues,  looms  up  into  prom- 
inence, bearing  upon*  its  face  the  characteristic 
features  of  world-history  from  the  opening  of  the 
Christian  dispensation  to  the  unfolding  of  those 
scenes  which  are  now  passing  before  our  eyes.  It 
has  often  been  said,  that  the  reason  why  the  world 
has  not  yet  been  evangelized,  is  to  be  found  in  the 
fact  that  the  churches  of  Christ  have  "  slept  as  do 
others,"  and  have  forgotten  the  great  commission. 
Whatever  degree  of  truth  may  be  involved  in  this 
statement,  it  is,  on  the  whole,  but  a  very  partial 
and  stinted  statement  of  the  truth.  There  is  ample 
ground  for  the  position  that  the  great  reason  of  the 
limitation  that  has  been  set  to  the  progress  of 
Christianity  is  to  be  found  in  that  union  of  Church 
and  State,  which  is  a  chief  element  of  the  grand 
apostasy.  Civil  government,  ordained  of  God  for 
the  protection  of  men  in  civil  rights,  to  punish  the 
evil-doer,  and  to  enable  the  well-disposed  ^'  to  live 
quiet  and  peaceable  lives  in  all  godliness  and 
honesty,"  has  been  perverted  from  its  true  design 
and  employed  in  closing  every  avenue  against  the 


Cecristianity  and  Statesmanship.  21 

progress  of  pure  religion.  Hence  we  see  the  signif- 
icance of  that  petition  which  Paul  commended  so 
earnestly  to  the  churches  of  his  time,  when  he 
called  upon  them  to  pray  that  "  a  door  of  utter- 
ance" might  be  open  to  him.  Let  but  the  govern- 
ments of  the  earth  be  restricted  to  their  proper 
sphere  ;  let  but  the  principles  which  two  centuries 
ago  were  embodied  in  a  civil  State  on  the  shores 
of  the  ISTarragansett  become  universally  prevalent ; 
let  but  the  race  at  large  enjoy  its  rightful  heritage 
of  free  churches,  free  schools,  and  an  open  Bible, 
and  then,  as  sure  as  it  is  that  there  is  moral  power 
in  truth,  that  ''  the  residue  of  the  Spirit"  is  with 
God,  that  the  gospel  is  his  message,  that  the  prom- 
ises of  Scripture  bear  the  impress  of  his  veracity, 
just  so  sure  is  it  that  "  the  kingdom,  and  the 
power,  and  the  glory,  and  the  greatness  of  the 
kingdom  under  the  whole  heaven"  shall  be  given 
unto  Christ  for  an  everlasting  heritage,  and  "  unto 
Him  shall  the  gathering  of  the  people  be." 

This  remark  prepares  our  way  for  the  considera- 
tion of  the  other  great  truth  which  this  inspired 
ode  so  joyously  celebrates.  For,  while  the  Psalm 
is  so  gloomily  descriptive  of  the  dreadful  antagonism 
between  the  kingdom  of  Christ  and  the  spirit  of 
this  world's  Statesmanship,  it  takes  on,  nevertheless, 
a  tone  of  triumph.  It  reveals  a  more  cheering 
scene.     It  asserts, 

III.  That  these  opposing  counsels  and  alliances 

SHALL  ALL   BE    ULTIMATELY  BAFFLED.       It  dcclarCS  this 

in  strong  terms  :  *'  He  that  sitteth  in  the  heavens 
shall  laugh :  the  Lord  shall  have  them  in  derision." 


22  Christianity  and  Statesmanship. 

This  expression  contains  a  bold  rhetorical  figure 
which  is  common  to  all  languages,  and  is  employed 
to  denote  power  that  is  irresistible.  Thus  a  more 
ancient  poet  says  of  the  leviathan  that  sporteth  in. 
the  stormy  deep  :  "  He  laugheth  at  the  shaking  of 
a  spear  ;"  and  thus  we  often  say  of  an  impregnable 
bulwark,  "  It  mocks  resistance."  When  applied 
to  any  opposing  force  whatever,  whether  it  be 
physical  or  moral,  it  denotes  one  that  is  unconquer- 
able. The  array  of  opposition  which  this  world 
presents  to  the  kingdom  of  the  Messiah  seems  to 
us  so  mighty  and  enduring  as  to  mock  our  feeble 
efforts ;  but  it  is  destined  to  be  overcome,  and  that, 
too,  by  moral  means.  We  say  by  moral  means ; 
by  the  spiritual  forces  which  He  has  originated  and 
will  effectually  wield  ;  for,  in  order  to  this  happy 
consummation.  He  is  enthroned  "  upon  Zion,  the 
mountain  of  his  sanctuary."  This  figurative  phrase 
designates  the  position  of  the  Messiah  as  the  Head 
of  a  spiritual  church.  Hence,  .in  allusion  to  it, 
Paul  says  to  all  true  believers :  *'  We  have  come 
unto  Mount  Zion  ;"  that  is,  we  have  abjured  all 
other  supremacies,  and  have  acknowledged  the 
rightful  dominion  of  Christ  as  Eang  of  kings.  His 
scepter  is  "  the  truth  ;"  his  chosen  instrumentality 
for  the  achievement  of  his  work  is  his  revealed 
Word.  By  that  he  will  make  manifest  his  character 
and  his  power.  By  that  He  is  to  be  made  known 
universally  as  the  Son  of  God.  By  that,  and  not 
by  the  schemings  of  state  policy,  nor  by  a  deluge 
of  material  fire,  as  some  of  the  modern  Adventists 
suppose,  is  his  divine  sovereignty  to  be  displayed. 


Chkistianity  and  Statesmanship.  23 

**  He  shall  smite  the  earth  by  the  rod  of  his  mouth, 
and  with  the  breath  of  his  lips  shall  he  slay  the 
wicked."  In  accordance  with  this  idea,  He  said  to 
Pilate,  "  I  am  a  King ;  to  this  end  was  I  born,  and 
for  this  cause  came  I  into  the  world,  that  I  should 
bear  witness  unto  the  truth  :  every  one  that  is  of 
the  truth  heareth  my  voice."  His  resurrection  from 
the  dead  is  spoken  of  in  the  Psalm  before  us  as  the 
era  of  his  reign ;  a  fact  which  Paul  fully  declared 
in  his  discourse  delivered  in  the  synagogue  of 
Antioch,  in  Pisidia,  as  recorded  in  the  thirteenth 
chapter  of  the  Acts.  The  term  '•  begotten,"  in  the 
sixth  verse  of  the  Psalm,  is  used  like  other  Hebrew 
words  in  the  same  form  in  a  decla/raUve  sense ;  and 
the  import  of  the  whole  phrase  is,  ''  This  day,  I 
declare  that  I  have  begotten  thee."  This  comment 
is  illustrated  by  the  words  of  Paul  in  the  opening 
paragraph  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans  :  "  He  was 
declared  to  be  the  Son  of  God  with  power  by  his 
resurrection  from  the  dead."  "  With  great  power," 
it  is  said,  did  the  Christian  churches  once  bear  wit- 
ness to  this  truth ;  and  it  is  their  great  work  to  do 
so  still,  until  this  gospel  shall  be  universally  victo- 
rious. Man  was  led  away  from  God  by  a  lie  of 
Satan  ;  he  is  to  be  restored  by  ".the  truth  as  it  is 
in  Jesus  ;"  ruined  by  that  word  of  the  Tempter,  he 
must  be  rescued  by  the  word  of  the  Lord ;  lost  by 
unbelief,  he  must  be  saved  by  faith.  When  quick- 
ened by  the  Spirit  he  awakes  from  the  long  sleep 
of  moral  death,  is  "  translated  into  the  kingdom  of 
God's  dear  Son,"  and  hails  Him  as  the  Sovereign  of 
the  F.oul  and  the  rightful  Sovereign  of  the  universe. 


24  Christianity  and  Statesmanship. 


But  here  the  inquiry  meets  us,  How  does  this 
view  of  the  mild  and  gentle,  the  exclusively  spiritual 
character  of  our  Lord's  sovereignty  accord  with  the 
stern  martial  air  of  this  Psalm,  which  breaks  upon 
the  ear  like  that  which  reverberated  over  the  battle- 
fields of  republican  France  in  the  tones  of  the  old 
Marseilles  Hymn?  This  stirring  strain  of  warlike 
sound,  so  full  of  menace,  so  prophetic  of  destruc- 
tion, startling  the  imagination  with  scenes  of  fall- 
ing dynasties  and  the  wreck  of  empires,  what  means 
it  ?  The  opposing  powers  are  seen  mustering  their 
forces  :  "  He  shall  rebuke  them  in  his  wrath.  He 
shall  laugh  at  them.  He  shall  have  them  in  de- 
rision. He  shall  smite  them  with  a  scepter  of 
iron.  He  shall  dash  them  in  pieces  like  a  potter's 
vessel."  Is  all  this  descriptive  of  the  Prince  of 
Peace  and  of  the  progress  of  a  moral  kingdom  ? 
Undoubtedly.  These  spirited  stanzas  express  a 
great  idea  which  history  is  constantly  realizing. 
They  portray  the  firm,  unrelaxed,  and  iron-like  ad- 
herence of  the  divine  government  to  the  principles 
just  now  announced  touching  the  supremacy  of 
Christ's  revealed  Word.  Men  and  nations  must  pay 
homage  to  its  authority,  imbibe  its  spirit  and  prac- 
tice its  precepts,  or  sufi'er  the  terrible  destruction 
consequent  on  the  rejection  of  it.  Its  principles 
must  be  received,  its  laws  must  be  obeyed,  the  in- 
alienable rights  with  which  it  invests  every  human 
conscience  must  be  respected,  the  limitations  which 
it  sets  to  the  responsibility  of  governments  and  in- 
dividuals must  be  realized  in  the  organization  called 
a  State,  or  else  the  State  itself  will  nourish  in  her 


Christianity  and  Statesmanship.  25 


bosom  the  fires  that  are  destined  to  consume  her. 
If  at  this  day  the  venerable  founder  of  Rhode 
Island  were  to  be  raised  from  the  dead  and  commis- 
sioned to  go  on  the  errand  of  a  new  apostleship  to 
every  government  on  the  face  of  the  earth  ;  if  he 
were  bidden  to  take  a  New  Testament  in  his  hand 
and  to  say  to  those  w^ho  bear  rule,  "  If  ye  will 
honor  this  book  as  the  law  of  laws  ;  if  ye  will  respect 
that  soul-liberty  which  it  proclaims  as  the  gift  of 
God  to  every  human  being ;  if  ye  will  confine  the 
administration  of  your  government  to  civil  things, 
and  maintain  the  ordinances  of  justice  between  man 
and  man,  ye  shall  surely  prosper,  but  otherwise  ye 
shall  surely  perish,"  he  would  only  have  announced 
a  short,  simple,  and  Christian  theory  of  government ; 
his  mission  would  probably  be  rejected  with  scorn 
by  the  great  majority,  but  the  menace  which  his 
lips  would  have  uttered,  God's  providence  shall 
certainly  verify."'^ 

In  order  to  be  fully  impressed  with  the  force  and 
bearing  of  this  prophetic  announcement,  behold 
what  a  heaving  sea  of  national  convulsion  and  des- 
olating waste  the  history  of  Christendom  has  ex- 
hibited ever  since  the  Christian  dispensation  was 
ushered  in !  Does  not  the  oracle  here  describe  it 
truthfully  ?  Turn  your  eyes  to  the  first  fulfillment. 
"When  the  Jewish  nation  rejected  their  Messiah, 
He  wept  as  he  beheld  the  sacred  city  from  the 
height  of  Olivet,  while  he  exclaimed  :  "  O  that  thou 
hadst  known,  even  thou,  in  this  thy  day,  t]ie  things 

*  See  Appendix  C,  p.  64. 


26  Christianity  and  Statesmanship. 

that  belong  to  thy  peace ;  but  now  are  they  hid 
from  thine  eyes  !"  He  uttered  the  dirge  of  Jeru- 
salem. Regarding  the  Jewish  Church  without  the 
spirit  of  true  religion,  as  a  body  without  life,  He 
had  already  said,  "  Where  the  carcass  is,  there 
will  the  eagles  be  gathered  together."  His  predic- 
tion was  soon  fulfilled.  See  the  Roman  eagle,  at 
the  beck  of  the  Almighty's  hand,  spread  his  wings, 
soar  aloft,  scent  his  prey,  hover  over  Judea,  then 
pounce  upon  the  fated  carcass.  See  the  doomed 
nation  reeling  under  the  weighty  sentence,  plucked 
from  its  place,  broken  to  pieces,  while  the  frag- 
ments now  lie  scattered  over  the  earth  from  pole  to 
pole. 

This  same  gospel  of  the  Messiah  was  carried  by 
the  Apostles  and  the  first  disciples  abroad  over  the 
Roman  Empire,  Avithin  wliose  mighty  grasp  the 
elements  of  civilization  and  social  order  seemed  to 
be  held  together.  The  simple  religion  which  they 
taught  would  have  renovated,  sanctified  her,  and 
saved  her  in  her  greatness.  It  would  have  extir- 
pated that  slave  system  which  was  the  immediate 
cause  of  her  weakness,  which  rendered  her  vast 
framework  like  a  hollow  shell,  so  that  it  collapsed 
when  pressed  against  by  the  hordes  of  northern 
barbarism.."  Rejecting,  or  rather  perverting,  the 
simple  truths  of  Christianity,  she  had  within  her  no 
conservative  power,  and  therefore  fell  with  a  grav- 
itating force,  like  the  typical  millstone  which  the 
prophet  of  Patmos  saw  a  mighty  angel  casting  into 

*  Sec  Appendix  D,  p.  58. 


Christianity  and  (Statesmanship.  27 

the  deep,  wliile  he  said  with  a  loud  voice,  "  Thus, 
with  violence,  shall  Babylon  the  great  be  thrown 
down,  and  be  found  no  more  at  all." 

At  the  close  of  the  first  century  a  series  of 
celestial  messages  were  sent  forth  from  that  same 
islevof  Patmos  to  the  churches  of  Asia,  warning 
them  against  the  sin  of  departing  from  the  Word 
of  Christ,  and  of  molding  their  doctrines  into  con- 
formity with  a  corrupt  public  opinion ;  at  the 
same  time  pronouncing  the  doom  of  utter  extirpa- 
tion unless  they  should  repent  and  return  to  the 
simplicity  of  their  first  faith  and  their  first  works. 
They  repented  not ;  they  assimilated  themselves  to 
the  worldly  communities  around  them  ;  and  be- 
hold, in  due  season,  the  banner  of  the  conquering 
Mohammed  is  unfurled.  His  hostile  armies  sweep 
over  all  the  lands  which  the  feet  of  the  Apostles 
had  trodden  in  the  Eastern  world,  even  with  the 
besom  of  destruction,  and  the  nominally  Christian 
churches,  according  to  the  AVord  of  Christ,  were 
cast  out  like  "  salt  that  had  lost  its  savor,"  and 
therefore  "  good  for  nothing,  but  to  be  trodden 
under  foot  of  men."  The  Christianity  of  those 
times  was  not  worth  preserving,  and  in  regard  to 
its  influence  on  the  moral  health  and  weal  of 
society,  the  religion  of  Mohammed,  in  spite  of  all  its 
errors,  was  a  decided  improvement. 

The  ages  roll  on,  and  we  see  that  "Western 
Europe  has  received  a  corrupt,  licentious,  and 
military  religion  under  the  name  of  Christianity, 
and  thus  becomes  prepared  to  exhibit  practically 
on  a  broad  theater  a   terrific   illustration  of  the 


28  Christianity  and  Statesimanship. 

truth  of  those  words  of  Jesus  which  sound  so  much 
in  harmony  with  the  spirit  of  this  Psalm:  "They 
that  take  the  sword  shall  perish  by  the  sword." 
The  nominal  Christianity  of  those  times  had  no 
power  to  regain  her  realm  by  moral  means,  and 
attempted  to  do  it  by  the  hand  of  violence.  Popes, 
kings,  princes,  barons,  knights,  gentlemen,  soldiers, 
monks,  hermits,  tradesmen,  and  peasants  were  all 
aroused  to  move  in  massive  legions  for  the  rescue 
of  Jerusalem  from  the  grasp  of  the  Mohammedan 
infidel,  into  whose  hand  God  had  abandoned  it. 
But  the  voice  of  Providence  sounded  out  a  decree 
like  that  which  fell  upon  the  ear  of  John  from  the 
lips  of  the  mighty  angel,  who,  standing  with  one 
foot  upon  the  sea  and  the  other  upon  the  land, 
lifted  his  hand  toward  heaven,  and  swore  by  Him 
that  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  "  The  time  shall  not 
be  yet."  Oh!  what  pen  can  adequately  depict 
the  fearful  scenery  of  those  crusades  in  which 
rank  upon  rank  of  the  Christian  hosts,  millions 
upon  millions,  like  living  waves  of  an  exhaustless 
deep,  poured  themselves  upon  the  shores  of  Asia 
to  be  dashed  to  pieces,  to  perish  there,  and  leave 
only  their  blanched  bones  for  a  memorial !  De- 
spite the  thunders  of  the  Vatican,  the  vows  of 
chivalry,  the  prayers  and  curses  of  the  priesthood, 
the  blended  enthusiasm  of  youth  and  age,  we  have 
lived  to  see  the  Holy  Land  still  owning  the  sway 
of  a  Moslem  scepter.* 

And  among  those  nations  of  Western  Europe 

*  See  Appendix  E,  p.  61. 


Christianity  and  Statesmanship.  29 


how  have  their  dynasties,  ever  since  their  recon- 
struction from  the  fragments  of  the  Homan  Empire, 
been  dashed  and  broken  one  against  another ! 
Spain  had  her  "  time  of  visitation  ;"  the  simple, 
spiritual,  free  Christianity  of  the  Isew  Testament 
was  offered  to  her,  but  was  resisted  by  her  States- 
manship ;  the  yearnings  of  her  people  after  Chris- 
tian freedom  were  repressed ;  she  became  a  land 
of  inquisitions,  of  martyrs,  of  terror,  and  of  blood. 
She  nourished  the  passions  which  consumed  her; 
and  she,  the  land  of  beauty  and  fertility,  of  riches 
and  of  power,  of  poetry  and  of  song,  is  now  the 
most  abject,  the  weakest  and  basest  of  all  king- 
doms, cherishing  the  mad  ambition  to  recruit  her 
physical  energies  by  drinking  the  blood  of  Africa. 
France  had  her  time  of  visitation  ;  the  same  mes- 
sage was  borne  to  her,  and  it  was  treated  with 
malicious  mockery  by  her  statesmen.  She  crushed 
the  Waldenses  and  Albigenses,  who  loved  and 
preached  the  truth ;  with  one  fell  swoop  she  con- 
signed the  noble  Huguenots  to  a  shameful  death ; 
and  so,  for  the  lack  of  that  balmy,  healthful  influ- 
ence which  was  emanating  from  them,  the  way 
was  prepared  for  that  overwhelming  baptism  of 
blood  which  was  administered  by  the  hands  of  a 
rampant  infidelity  in  the  storms  of  her  revolution. 
The  same  religion  of  Christ's  Word  was  offered  to 
England ;  she  gave  it  more  ample  room,  as  is 
shown  by  the  very  existence  of  her  noble  body  of 
dissenting  churches ;  and  though  its  field  of  action 
has  been  stinted  by  a  blind  hierarchical  Statesman- 
ship, yet  the  elements  of  moral  life  which  it  has 


30  Christianity  and  Statesmanship. 

diffused  through  the  masses  have  been  the  great 
conservative  power  of  the  English  people,  have 
saved  them  from  the  chaos  into  which  France  has 
been  plunged,  and  have  been  the  source  of  that 
relative  greatness  which  now  pertains  to  English 
nation  alit}^ 

In  its  relation  to  the  kingdom  of  Christ  our  own 
country  occupies  a  peculiar  position  among  the 
nations,  of  the  world,  distinguished  as  it  is  for  fur- 
nishing larger  scope  than  others  for  the  develop- 
ment of  a  free  Christianity,  by  means  of  free 
churches  uncontrolled  by  the  craft  of  Statesman- 
ship. And  who  of  us  can  not  see  that  our  national 
destiny  turns  on  the  question,  whether  American 
Christians  shall,  or  shall  not,  be  faithful  to  God 
and  humanity  in  using  aright  this  gift  of  freedom? 
If  we,  too,  should  falter  in  our  allegiance  to  the 
supremacy  of  Christ's  revealed  Word  ;  if  w^e  should 
cease  to  sympathize  Avith  the  sublime  aims  of  a 
free  Christianity  ;  if  we  should  become  corrupted 
by  the  subtile  spirit  of  skeptical  philosophies,  or 
that  of  Popery,  or  that  of  conservative  tradition- 
ism,  or  that  of  worldly  politics,  which  sometimes 
combines  all  these  evils  in  itself,  we  also  will  lose 
our  moral  coherence,  and  our  unity  as  a  people 
will  be  severed  into  fragments,  and  become  as  the 
*'  chaff  of  the  summer's  threshing-floor,  which  the 
wand  driveth  away."  ^  In  this  "Word  of  the  Lord 
is  our  hope  ;  it  is  all  our  salvation.  According  to 
the  manner  in  which  we  treat  it,  will  he  "  magnify 

•  See  Appendix  F,  p.  64. 


Christianity  and  Statesmanship.  31 

it"  in  our  prosperity  or  our  ruin.  It  can  not  be 
rejected  or  perverted  by  any  soul  witli  impunity, 
nor  opposed  by  any  nation  without  its  suffering 
condign  vengeance.  It  can  not  be  withheld  from 
any  class  of  men  without  guilt.  If  it  be  legally 
denied  to  the  poorest  slave,  the  law  which  does  it 
will  in  due  time  become  a  rod  in  the  hand  of  the 
Messiah  to  smite  and  break  the  States,  which  in 
their  pride  of  power  have  said,  "  Let  us  break  his 
bands  asunder,  and  cast  his  cords  away  from  us." 
"Whatever  stern  necessities  may  be  deemed  by 
the  legislators  of  slave  States  to  be  grounded  in  the 
law  of  self-preservation,  let  them  see  to  it  that 
every  rational,  immortal  creature  within  the  realm 
of  their  jurisdiction  shall  be  able  to  open  the  eyes 
of  his  mind  to  the  light  of  Heaven,  and  to  lift  up 
his  voice  as  a  voice  of  song  while  he  takes  up  the 
joyous  strain  which  came  from  the  lips  of  a  fet- 
tered Apostle,  when  he  exclaimed,  "The  word  of 
God  is  not  bound." 

And  vvhat,  O  friends  and  brethren,  what  if  that 
last,  most  fearful  issue  which  a  Christian  patriot 
can  dread  should  befall  us  as  a  nation — what  if  the 
worst  should  come,  and  all  our  hopes  of  a  glorious 
nationality  should  perish  in  the  wreck  of  our  con- 
federacy—would the  fortunes  of  Christ's  kingdom 
perish  with  us  ?  Would  the  last  and  only  hope  of 
humanity  be  buried  in  our  sepulcher  ?  No ; 
never.  When  the  star  of  Judea  fell  from  the  firma- 
ment, it  seemed  to  many  as  if  the  light  of  true 
religion  had  been  forever  extinguished.  But  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness  arose  over  the  gloom  with 


32  CilKISTJANITY   AND    STATESMANSHIP. 

healing  in  his  beams.  The  proudest  empires  of 
earth  must  crumble  into  dust,  but  the  kingdom  of 
the  Messiah  shall  have  no  end.  If  Christian 
America  prove  faithless  to  her  high  trust,  '^  the 
generations  to  come,"  nevertheless,  will  rehearse 
the  solemn  lesson  of  her  history.  They  will  learn 
more  effectually  than  we  shall  have  done,  what  is 
the  sure  corner-stone  of  a  nation's  welfare,  and  will 
lay  to  heart  the  awful  commentary  which  shall 
then  have  been  furnished  in  another  saying  of  our 
divine  Teacher :  "  Whosoever  shall  fall  on  this 
stone  shall  be  broken ;  but  on  whomsoever  it  shall 
fall  it  will  grind  him  to  powder." 

But  of  this  terrible  result  there  need  be  no  serious 
apprehension.  The  cheering  lights  of  prophecy 
and  all  the  analogies  of  history  forbid  the  fear. 
This  continent,  so  wondrously  hidden  from  the  eyes 
of  Europe  till  God's  own  set  time  had  come,  has  not 
been  reserved  to  become  the  scene  of  such  a  gloomy 
ruin.  Brought  to  light  just  when  the  civilization 
of  the  old  world  had  become  effete,  had  been 
*'  weighed  in  the  balances  and  found  wanting,"  the 
foundations  of  a  Christian  Republic  were  laid  on 
these  shores  amid  the  prayers  and  tears  of  faithful 
men,  whose  souls  were  as  serene  in  the  threatening 
tempest  as  in  the  calm  sunshine,  simply  because 
they  believed  in  God.  It  is  oars  to  pursue  the  path 
which  they  opened,  to  work  out  the  glorious  desti- 
nation which  they  saw  by  the  eye  of  faith  ;  and 
surely  we  would  be  the  unworthy  sons  of  such 
sires,  the  unworthy  heirs  of  such  an  inheritance,  if 
we  could  be  scared  away  from  our  exalted  sphere 


Christianity  and  Statesmanship.  33 

of  action  by  the  front  of  battle  lowering  before  iis, 
or  by  the  muttering  thunders  that  roll  around  our 
cloud-covered  horizon. 

But  what  are  the  chief  lessons  which  the  theme 
of  this  great  missionary  ode  suggest  to  us  ?  Al- 
though we  may  bestow  upon  them  but  a  momentary 
glance,  let  us  not  fail  to  give  to  them  a  serious  con- 
sideration. 

J.  It  is  our  duty,  as  Christian  citizens,  to  acknowl- 
edge practically  the  moral  supremacy  of  Christ  in 
the  personal  relations  which  we  sustain  to  the  civil 
government,  as  really  as  in  any  other  relations 
whatsoever.  "  Christ  or  Caesar?"  This  is  the 
question  which  addresses  itself  to  our  consciences 
in  these  times  as  sternly  as  it  was  addressed  to  the 
consciences  of  men  in  the  first  century  of  the  Chris- 
tian era. 

When  Pontius  Pilate  sat  in  judgment  on  the 
unoffending  Jesus  of  IS'azareth,  he  was  conscious  of 
a  hard  struggle  between  his  heart  and  his  con- 
science. He  saw  that  the  prisoner  was  the  victim 
of  bigotry,  and  that  from  wounded  pride  the  Jewish 
aristocracy  sought  his  death.  On  the  charge  of 
sedition  brought  against  Christ,  Pilate  poured  de- 
served contempt.  After  a  full  examination  of  the 
case,  he  exclaimed,  "  I  find  no  fault  in  him." 
ISTevertheless,  when  the  cry  was  raised,  "  If  thou 
let  this  man  go,  thou  art  not  Cesar's  friend,"  the 
ruling  passion  of  the  Poman  governor  was  success- 
fully addressed  ;  ambition  swept  all  before  it ;  the 
love  of  honor  made  him  a  moral  coward;  he  cringed 
before  the  priesthood  and  their  hired  mob,  whom  he 
9,^ 


34  Christianity  and  Statesmanship. 

alike  despised,  and  abandoned  Christ  from  the  fear 
of  displeasing  Caesar. 

This  event  was  the  chief  era  of  Pilate's  history, 
and  may  have  been  the  turning-point  of  his  destiny. 
A  similar  probation,  however,  is  still  allotted  unto 
men,  and  to  the  hearts  of  all  the  hour  of  temptation 
still  brings  home  the  question,  Christ  or  Caesar? 
The  Statesman  in  his  elevated  sphere  of  action  is  still 
obliged  to  face  the  alternatives,  to  hear  its  voice, 
and  to  give  the  answer  which  shall  be  for  weal  or 
woe.  The  citizen,  as  he  approaches  the  ballot-box, 
hesitating  between  the  call  of -duty  and  the  clamor 
of  party,  when  he  casts  his  vote,  gives  the  reply 
which  determines  his  position  as  a  servant  of  God 
or  Mammon,  of  Christ  or  Caesar.  The  legislator, 
when  he  lifts  his  hand  as  the  sign  of  a  final  decision 
on  some  grave  measure  whicli  involves  far-reaching 
moral  consequences,  is  forced,  no  less  than  was 
Pontius  Pilate,  to  choose  whether  he  will  obey  the 
truthful  oracle  within  him,  or  will  shrink  before  the 
terror  of  that  party-cry,  "  Thou  art  not  Caesar's 
friend."  In  the  history  of  nations,  it  is  a  rare  case 
to  find  Statesmanship  on  the  side  of  Christ  and  his 
cause,  but  it  has  generally  verified  the  saying  attri- 
buted by  ancient  prophecy  to  the  rulers  of  the 
earth :  "  Let  us  break  his  bands  asunder,  and  cast 
away  his  cords  from  us." 

In  the  days  of  Pilate,  the  leading  power  of  the 
world  whose  claims  were  in  conflict  with  those  of 
Christ  was  tlie  imperial  power  of  Rome.  It  was 
all-pervading,  and  touched  all  relationships  in  civil 
and  religious   things.     To   be   a  Christian,  a  man 


Christianity  and  Statesmanship.  35 

needed  a  true  martyr  spirit,  which  would  lead  him  to 
count  not  even  life  dear  to  himself,  so  that  he  might 
be  faithful  to  his  Master.  In  spite  of  such  higli 
demands,  the  new  religion  conquered,  and  gained 
mighty  hosts  of  converts  from  every  rank  and  class 
of  men.  The  Apostle  who  said,  "  We  wrestle  with 
principalities,  and  powers,  and  Spiritual  wickedness 
in  high  places,"  could  add,  nevertheless',  "  Now 
thanks  be  to  God  who  always  causeth  us  to  tri- 
umph." 

In  our  own  time  and  land,  the  leading  power 
whose  claims  come  in  contact  with  those  of  Christ  is 
the  Slave-Powee.  Throughout  this  country  its  inllu-  ^ 
ence  is  pervasive.  In  its  practical  workings  we  see 
three  hundred  thousand  men  ruling  twenty  millions, 
with  a  despotism  as  subtile  and  complete  as  that  of 
the  English  .aristocracy  which  sways  the  masses  of 
our  father-land.  Within  its  own  realm  it  is  the  foe 
of  common  schools,  of  a  free  press,  and  aims  to  keep 
the  majority  of  the  whites  in  a  state  of  ignorance, 
lest  they  should  verify  the  adage  that  "  knowledge 
is  power."  It  subordinates  the  federal  government 
to  its  own  purposes,  and  uses  the  physical  force  of 
the  free  States  to  hold  slaves  in  subjection.  It  has 
long  done  violence  to  the  spirit  of  the  age  and  the 
moral  sentiment  of  the  Korth  by  insisting  that  the 
District  of  Columbia,  the  common  territory  around 
the  Capitol,  should  be  a  public  slave-market.  It 
still  enlargeth  itself;  it  breaks  solemn  compacts  at 
its  pleasure  ;  it  fortifies  a  terrible  system  of  slavery- 
propagandism  within  the  bulw'arks  of  the  Constitu- 
tion, and  aspires  to  rule  a  continent  that  shall  ulti-, 


36  Christianity  and  Stat.xsmanship. 

mately  give  law  to  the  world. *^  In  regard  to  all 
the  principles  and  schemes  of  such  a  power,  every 
man  among  us  is  responsible  to  God  for  the  ex- 
pression of  his  opinion,  the  exercise  of  his  influence, 
the  casting  of  his  vote ;  and  in  every  case  where 
action  is  necessary,  every  man  must  meet  the  alter- 
native involved  in  the  question,  "  Wilt  thou  obey 
the  law  of  Christ  or  of  Csesarf  In  the  moment 
of  decisive  action,  Pontius  PiLate  officAally  aban- 
doned Christ,  and  yielded  to  what  he  thought  to  be 
the  demand  of  Caesar,  then  called  for  a  bowl  of 
water,  washed  his  hands,  and  disclaimed  his  guilt ! 
But  water  could  not  cleanse  him  from  the  moral 
stain  that  was  upon  his  soul ;  and  w^hosoever  now 
imitates  his  style  of  action  by  sacrificing  right  to 
expediency  may  see  the  time  when  he  will  exclaim, 
"  If  I  wash  myself  with  snow-water,  and  make  my 
hands  never  so  clean,  yet  shalt  Tiiou  plunge  me  in 
the  ditch,  and  my  own  clothes  shall  abhor  me." 

Csesar !  who  and  where  is  he  ?  Once  the  name 
denoted  the  power  which  found  its  impersonation 
in  iS^ero  or  Domitian.  These  men  have  died,  but 
the  rule  of  Cgesar  is  not  dead.  The  dominant  power 
of  the  world  around  us,  which  regards  the  law  and 
the  spirit  of  the  world  as  supreme,  is  the  real  anti- 
Christian  Coesar,  whatever  titles  it  may  wear.  In 
some  places  Wealth  is  the  reigning  power  which 
rules  public  opinion  and  gains  the  homage  of 
society.  In  others,  Fashion  is  enthroned,  makes 
genius  her  prime-minister,  and  receives  the  worship 


*  See  Appendix,  G,  p.  68. 


CHRISTIANITr    AND    STATESMANSHIP.  37 

of  the  multitude.  Whatever  form  the  government 
of  Coesar  may  assume,  iu  many  things  it  will  come 
into  collision  with  the  government  of  Heaven,  so 
that  the  true  Christian  has  daily  need  to  remember 
the  maxim  of  his  Master,  ''  Render  unto  Csesar  the 
things  that  are  Ciesar's,  and  unto  God  the  things 
that  are  God's." 

II.  It  becomes  the  churches  of  this  land  to  regard 
with  an  interest,  more  concentrated  and  intense 
than  has  yet  been  seen,  the  evangelization  of  this 
continent  considered  in  its  relation  to  the  ultimate 
triumph  of  the  Messiah's  kingdom.  We  have  seen 
that  the  great  outward  antagonism  to  the  benign 
aims  of  Christianity  is  found  in  that  organization 
of  social  power  which  takes  the  form  of  political 
government,  in  the  administration  of  which  the  few 
rule  the  many,  and  close  every  avenue  through 
which  the  light  of  truth  can  reach  the  masses  of 
the  people.  But  it  is  our  happy  fortune  to  live  in 
a  land  where  the  ruling  power  is  wielded  by  the 
people  themselves.  Here  this  old  antagonism  can 
exist  but  in  a  comparatively  limited  degree ;  for, 
although  trading  politicians,  senators,  and  repre- 
sentatives may  betray  their  trusts,  as  they  have 
sometimes  done,  the  people  still  hold  the  remedy 
in  their  own  hands.  Here  public  opinion  is  a 
power  behind  all  organized  forms  of  government, 
and  it  can  make  or  break  these  forms  at  its  pleasure. 
Here,  midway  between  the  two  great  oceans  of  the 
globe,  is  a  continent  exhibiting  a  spectacle  the  like 
of  which  the  sun  never  shone  upon  before.  Here 
Christianity  has  her  chosen  way  of  operation  by 


38  Christianity  and  STATESMANSHir. 

direct  appeal  to  the  individual,  and  by  direct  access 
to  the  millions  without  "  let  or  hindrance."  Was 
there  ever  a  time  or  place  that  opened  to  the  friends 
of  truth  such  a  bright  career?  Did  God  ever  call 
with  stronger  emphasis  to  his  people  than  he  does 
to  every  one  of  us,  saying,  "  Son,  go  work  to-day 
in  my  vineyard  V  Who  does  not  see  that  the  grand 
business  assigned  to  us  is  that  which  was  of  old  re- 
garded as  the  primary  business  of  every  disciple 
and  every  church :  the  diffusion  of  a  pure  Chris- 
tianity among  these  millions  teeming  with  life, 
hope,  and  joyous  energy?  Let  but  the  hills  and 
valleys,  the  fields  and  prairies,  tlie  towns  and  cities 
of  this  continent  be  thickly  set  with  self-governed 
churches,  acting  in  concert  to  do  the  great  Master's 
work,  and  then  shall  we  bo  a  self-governed  nation, 
before  the  outgoings  of  whose  influence  the  schemes 
of  despotism  and  idolatry  that  have  so  long  cursed 
the  earth  shall  give  way,  just  as  the  icy  solitudes 
of  the  north  are  melted  beneath  a  summer's  sun. 
are  clad  in  robes  of  beauty,  and  echo  tlie  carol  of 
birds  and  the  song  of  the  reaper. 

And  yet,  far  be  it  from  us  to  intimate  that  the 
enlarged  missionary  spirit  that  aims  directly  at  the 
evangelization  of  the  world  is  to  be  at  all  repressed 
in  subordination  to  any  narrow  economy  touching 
what  we  are  wont  to  call  the  *'  Home-field."  Our 
Lord  himself  has  said,  "  The  field  is  the  world,"  and 
his  great  commission  commends  the  wants  of  the 
world  at  large  to  the  heart  of  every  disciple.  The 
expansive  love  that  takes  the  weal  of  our  whole 
common   humanity  within  its    scope  is   the  only 


Chjbi3tianity  and  Statesma^nship.  39 

element  of  moral  power  adequate  to  the  emergencies 
that  confront  us  within  our  far-reaching  borders. 
Let  but  the  comprehensive  missionary  spirit  that 
prays  and  toils  at  once  for  the  whole  of  Heathendom 
be  stinted  to  a  narrower  sphere,  and  it  would  lan- 
guish for  the  want  of  genial  aliment.  God  is  mag- 
nanimous, and  he  honors  magnanimity.  "  Attempt 
great  things,  expect  great  things,"  and  you  will 
surely  achieve  them.  Attempt  little  things,  expect 
little  things,  and  you  will  not  get  even  these ;  for, 
"  to  him  that  hath  shall  more  be  given,  but  from 
him  that  hath  not  shall  be  taken  away  even  that 
which  he  seemeth  to  have."  Let  our  churches  turn 
away  their  eyes  and  hearts  from  the  Heathen 
nations,  and  they  will  not  have  the  moral  force 
that  is  needed  for  the  rough  work  at  home  ;  let 
them  encourage  the  generous  impulses  of  their  sons 
and  daughters  for  foreign  conquests  to  the  cause  of 
Christ,  and  the  re-acting  influence  of  the  enterprise 
abroad  will  inspire  the  hosts  at  home  with  a  kin- 
dred spirit,  and  invest  the  whole  array  with  a 
powder  that  will  mock  resistance. 

IH.  Li  relation  to  the  work  before  us,  it  becomes 
us  to  guard  against  a  two-fold  error  to  wdiich  we 
may  be  liable.  Let  us  beware  on  the  one  hand  of 
being  elated  by  expectations  of  an  easy  service  and 
rapid  victories ;  let  us  beware  on  the  other  hand 
of  being  discouraged  by  apparent  re^^erses,  by 
"hope  long  deferred,"  or  by  shouts  of  triumph  in 
the  camps  of  the  enemy.  There  are  certain  popular 
modes  of  speech  in'which  we  may  be  prone  to  in- 
dulge, touching  the   "age   of  progress"  in  which 


40  Cheistiaxitt  and  Statesmanship. 

we  live — the  triumphs  of  science  and  art  in  this 
nineteenth  century.  These  animating  words  are 
sometimes  spoken  as  if  intended  to  suggest  the  be- 
lief that  the  mountains  are  so  fallen  and  the  valleys 
so  exalted,  that  a  broad  and  smooth  highway  is 
opened,  along  which  the  Church  may  march  as  on 
a  gala-day,  to  take  possession  of  an  Eden  as  her 
heritage.  Is  there  not  danger  of  an  illusion  here  ? 
These  mighty  agencies,  to  be  sure,  are  changing 
the  face  of  nature  and  the  interior  relations  of 
mankind  ;  but  they  can  not  regenerate  the  heart, 
they  can  not  sanctify  or  save.  They  are,  no  doubt, 
imparting  power  to  the  people,  and  sapping  the 
thrones  of  despotism. 

But  suppose  that  by  the  wielding  of  some 
magical  wand  we  could  dissolve  the  despotisms  of 
the  earth  to-day,  without  the  moral  regulation  of 
pure  Christianity  society  would  blindly  rush  into 
that  state  of  anarchy  from  which  it  would  again 
blindly  seek  relief  beneath  the  wings  of  imperial 
power.  Democracy  itself  would  reel  with  the  in- 
toxication of  atheistical  philosophies  and  of  a 
worldl}'  spirit,  fulfilling  the  sentence  of  the  proph- 
et: "They  are  drunk,  but  not  with  wine;  they 
stagger,  but  not  with  strong  drink."  The  demon 
of  rebellious  passion  in  the  human  heart  can  not 
be  charmed  out  of  it  by  intellectual  culture,  nor  by 
the  richest  abundance  of  j^hysical  good  that  Four- 
ierism  can  ci'ave.  A  free  distribution  of  the  elements 
of  wealth  will  not  make  spendthrifts  rich,  nor  will 
the  finest  physical  condition  that  art  can  reach 
make  a  peaceful  and  happy  world.      I^o ;  never. 


Christiaiuty  and  Statesmanship.  41 

The  gospel  alone  can  accomiDlish  this.  But  let  it 
be  remembered  that  the  gospel  is  a  remedy  that 
the  disordered  soul  does  not  naturally  love,  that  it 
is  ours  to  press  this  remedy  on  hearts  that  repel  it ; 
and  to  do  this  in  spite  of  the  lying  cheats,  the 
spells  and  sorceries,  with  which  many  a  vaunting 
superstition  and  many  a  godless  philosophy  are 
united  to  baffle  us.  Can  this  be  an  easy  service  ? 
Shall  it  be  thought  strange  if  the  contest  be  long ; 
if,  to  the  eye  of  sense,  the  issue  seem  often  doubt- 
ful, or  even  if,  now  and  then,  the  opposing  hosts 
shall  raise  the  laugh  of  scorn,  or  renew  the  taunt- 
ing songs  of  Gath  and  Askelon  ? 

Still,  let  none  be  discouraged  by  temporary  de- 
feats ;  by  portentous  signs  in  the  political  firma- 
ment. The  Saviour  has  bidden  us  to  anticipate 
them.  He  predicted  moral  earthquakes,  convul- 
sions, wars,  and  tumults,  but  said  to  his  disciples, 
"  Be  ye  not  troubled."  If  any  supposed  that  these 
terrible  prophecies  related  only  to  the  lifetime  of 
the  Apostles,  the  revelations  of  Patmos  were  suffi- 
cient to  undeceive  them ;  for  however  dark  may 
be  their  interpretation,  evidently  they  take  a 
mighty  sweep  of  revolving  ages  within  their  scope. 
Even  now  the  Eastern  skies  are  vailed  in  murky 
gloom,  and  fearful  signs  portend  those  gathering 
storms  which  shall  rock  empires  to  their  base  ! 

Whatsoever  turn  may  be  given  to  the  course  of 
events  now  in  process,  the  attempt  of  Russia  to 
extort  from  the  Sultan  of  Turkej^  a  concession 
which  shall  invoWe  an  acknowledgment  of  the 
Czar's  assumed  position  as  protector  of  the  Greek 


42  Christianity  and  Statesmanship. 

churches  in  the  Ottomaii  Empire,  indicates  a  pro- 
found -  and  deliberate  policy  on  the  part  of  the 
strongest  despotism  in  Europe  to  bring  the  relig- 
ious sentiment  of  mankind,  as  far  as  it  may  be  pos- 
sible, into  complete  and  perpetual  subjection  to 
the  imperial  will.  It  denotes  the  sleepless  vigil- 
ance and  the  far-reaching  forethought  with  which 
the  accursed  union  of  Church  and  State  is  guarded, 
and  with  which  the  slightest  tendencies  toward 
religious  liberty  are  resisted.  For  it  is  not  be- 
cause the  rights  of  Greek  Christians  in  Turkey  are 
invaded,  that  the  Autocrat  of  the  ]S"orth  has  become 
alarmed,  but  it  is  because  the  liberal  government 
of  the  Sultan  is  fast  opening  the  way  for  the  growth 
of  a  spirit  of  independence  among  the  people,  and 
that  with  that  spirit  of  freedom,  a  natural  senti- 
ment of  aversion  to  Russian  despotism  is  spreading 
among  the  Greeks  themselves.  These  feel  them- 
selves to  be  "  the  rising  nation  of  the  East."  The 
enterprise  of  their  publishers  is  extraordinary  ;  the 
popular  literature  of  Europe  is  circulated  by  the 
Greek  press,  and  two-thirds  of  the  students  in  the 
University  of  Athens  are  subjects  of  the  Sultan, 
professing  the  Greek  religion.  Who  can  estimate 
the  enlightening  and  liberalizing  influences  which 
flow  from  these  sources  throughout  the  whole  ex- 
tent of  Turkish  dominion?  And  who  does  not  see 
how  mightily  these  influences  must  tend  to  weaken 
those  bonds  of  sympathy  between  the  Greek  Chris- 
tians of  Turkey  and  the  Greek  Church  of  Russia, 
which  the  court  of  St.  Petersburg  so  greatly  de- 
sires to  strengthen?     Unless  these  influences  can 


Christianity  and  Statesmanship.  43 


be  arrested,  Kussia  well  knows  that  her  cherished 
hopes  of  obtaining  a  firm  grasp  of  the  Ottoman 
Empire,  by  the  agency  of  the  Greek  Christians 
within  its  borders,  must  be  ultimately  blasted. 
Yexed  and  exasperated  because  he  has  not  been  able 
to  establish  an  efiicient  espio7iage  against  the  spread 
of  liberal  ideas  in  Turkey,  the  Czar  has  at  last 
resolved  to  risk  every  thing  for  one  mightyeffort  in 
behalf  of  religious  consolidation.  Hence  it  is  that 
he  has  put  forth  his  claim  to  the  political  pro- 
tectorate of  the  Greek  religion.  Hence  it  is  that 
Prince  Menschikoff  has  spoken  of  the  "  Catholico- 
Greco-Russian  worship  of  the  Eastern  Church," 
and  thus  has  employed  a  phrase  which  the  Greek 
Patriarch  of  Constantinople  resented  on  account 
of  its  breathing  a  spirit  of  usurpation.  These 
schemings  of  Muscovite  diplomacy,  be  assured,  are 
"  no  child's  play,"  nor  the  mere  amusement  for  the 
leisure  hours  of  princes  ;  but  they  are  parts  of  a 
profound  plan  that  is  worthy  of  the  grandeur  of 
imperial  genius.  May  Heaven  interpose,  as  of  old, 
to  baffle  the  counsels  of  the  mighty,  so  that  the 
chariot-wheels  of  their  policy  shall  drag  heavily, 
and  the  wise  be  caught  in  their  own  craftiness. 

A  little  while  before  our  Lord  left  the  earth  in 
a  visible  form,  He  told  his  disciples  that  the  Psalms 
spake  of  Him.  Here  is  brought  to  view  this  first 
Messianic  Psalm,  and  we  perceive  that  its  sound  is 
like  that  of  a  heavenly  oracle  answering  the  cry  of 
a  perplexed  inquirer,  who  asks  with  faltering  lips, 
from  amid  scenes  of  gloom,  "  Watchman,  what  of 
the  night  ?"     It  tells  of  a  long,  dreary,  stormy  night 


44  Christianity  and  Statesmanship. 

of  arduous  contest.  But,  then,  it  hails  the  sign  of 
promise.  It  descries  the  gleam  of  morning ;  it  re- 
joices in  the  effulgence  of  a  glorious  day ;  it  ends 
with  a  song  of  triumph.  It  directs  the  downcast 
eye  of  a  desponding  soul  to  the  supremacy  of 
Christ  as  the  rock  of  its  rest.  ''  Blessed  are  all 
they  that  trust  in  Him."  Let  this  sentiment  dwell 
deeply  in  our  hearts  and  throw  out  its  cheerful 
sunlight  around  us.  Fear  not  the  portents  of  a 
threatening  sky,  for  He  liveth,  and  is  "  Head  over 
all  things  to  the  Church."  Where  he  bids  us  go, 
let  us  go  ;  what  he  bids  us  do,  let  us  do  it.  Let 
our  whole  life-work  be  as  an  anthem  of  faith,  taking 
its  key-note  from  this  song  of  salvation.  Ye  shall 
not  labor  in  vain.  "  For,  if  ye  be  Christ's,  the 
day  shall  be  yours  ;"  yea,  "  all  things  are  yours,'' 
because  He  is  the  heir  of  the  universe,  and  "  ye 
are  joint-heirs  with  Him." 


APPENDIX 


Note  A.    Page  18. 
THE  HARVEST  OF  TRADITIONISM. 

Every  reader  of  the  public  journals,  who  is  accustomed  to 
observe  "  the  signs  of  the  tjmes/'  has  been  led  to  watch,  with 
increasing  interest,  for  a  few  years  past,  the  agitation  of  the 
Church  question  in  England,  to  mark  the  progress  of  that 
mighty  conflict  of  opposing  elements  now  raging  from  the  center 
to  the  circumference  of  the  Establishment ;  and,  of  lat^,  espe- 
cially, has  been  struck  with  the  fact  that  the  tide  of  sentiment 
among  English  Churchmen  has  been  turning  toward  Rome 
with  a  stronger  and  accelerated  flow.  When  a  paper  like  the 
London  Times  comes  to  express  its  sympathy  with  the  "  public 
surprise"  that  men  of  the  highest  rank  and  character,  men  who 
had  won  universal  confidence  as  sturdy  champions  of  the 
Anglican  Church,  should  become  "  apostates,"  we  may  feel 
quite  sure  that  Rome  is  garnering  rich  harvests  from  the  fields 
of  Oxford  orthodoxy,  that  the  boasts  of  Cardinal  Wiseman  are 
something  more  than  "  sounding  brass,"  and  that  the  reception 
of  his  '■  red  cap"  denotes  something  more  than  a  mere  empty 
parade. 

Among  the  apostasies  that  have  created  a  sensation  in  Eng- 
land, is  that  of  Viscount  Fielding,  a  young  nobleman  who  has 
been  signalized  as  a  standard-bearer  in  the  ranks  of  the  anti- 
Puseyites,  and  whom  the  Guardian  says  it  was  constrained  to 
oppose    at   the   last    Cambridge   election   on    account   of    his 


46  ArPEJs^Dix. 


'■  bigoted  denunciations — in  language  redolent  of  the  platform 
of  Exeter  Hall — against  any  diplomatic  intercourse  with  Rome."' 
Now  he  has  grounded  his  arms,  has  made  his  confession,  and 
kneels  at  the  feet  of  '•  the  Holy  Mother."'  Others  have  fol- 
lowed in  his  lordship's  footsteps,  and  among  them  is  the  Rev. 
Henry  Wilberforce,  brother  of  the  Bishop  of  Oxford,  who  was 
received  into  the  Popish  church  at  Mechlin,  on  the  Continent, 
whither  he  had  gone  a  short  time  before,  in  company  with 
Archdeacon  Manning,  who  is  supposed  to  sympathize  cordially 
with  this  movement.  One  of  Mr.  Wilberforce's  early  friends 
and  fellow-students  in  the  school  of  Dr.  Pusey,  was  the  Rev. 
T.  W.  Allies,  ex-chaplain  of  the  Bishop  of  London.  He  has 
just  resigned  the  rectory  of  Launton,  and  from  the  pulpit  de- 
clared to  his  congregation  that  '•  he  could  not  endure  the  in- 
famy that  contradictory  doctrine,  even  upon  the  holy  sacrament 
of  baptism,  was  permitted  to  be  taught  even  by  the  ministers 
of  the  Anglican  Church ;  and  that,  while  they  would  be  told 
in  the  church  of  Launton  that  infants  were  regenerated  by 
God's  Holy  Spirit  in  baptism,  they  would  hear  just  the  contrary 
in  the  church  of  Bicester.  He  would,  therefore,  give  them  a 
sermon  no  more  by  word,  but  by  deed,  in  that  he  would  resign 
his  living,  teaching  them  thereby  that  they  should  follow  the 
truth  whithersoever  it  might  lead  them."  Mr.  Allies  carried 
his  purpose  into  execution,  left  a  rectory  worth  nearly  four 
thousand  dollars  per  annum,  and  was  received  into  the  Romish 
Church  at  St.  Winfred's,  near  Cheadle,  by  Rev.  Dr.  Newman, 
of  Oxford  memory. 

In  the  eyes  of  Rome,  the  Bishop  of  Oxford's  family  was  a 
fitting  soil  to  receive  and  nourish  the  seeds  of  Jier  doctrine  ;  for 
it  appears  that  she  received  at  her  altars  three  sisters-in-law 
of  that  eminent  prelate,  and  the  Rev.  G.  Dudley  Ryder,  a  con- 
nection of  the  family  by  marriage.  We  once  had  the  pleasure 
of  hearing  a  sermon  from  the  Bishop  of  Oxford,  who  gave  a  hit 
at  the  Dissenters  while  he  was  extolling  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land:  "  a  church,"'  he  said,  ••  whose  formularies  contain,  not 
the  crude  expositions  of  ignorance  and  presumption,  but  the 
piety,  the  learning,  and  the  wisdom  of  ages  concentrated  !"     It 


Appendix.  47 


was  the  aim  of  his  discourse  to  invest  the  church  standards 
with  the  sanctions  of  Heaven  as  the  infallible  guides  of  faith. 
Who  can  wonder  that  the  disciples  of  such  doctrines  should 
carry  them  to  their  legitimate  issues,  and  seek  the  oracles  of 
infallibility  on  the  banks  of  the  Tiber,  whence  the  English 
bishops  themselves  received  their  ordination  and  their  author- 
ity ?  Must  not  men  reap  what  they  sow?  Can  they  gather 
iirapes  from  thorns  ?  Can  thinking  and  earnest  minds  really 
believe  that  their  salvation  depends  on  their  receiving-  the  sac- 
raments from  the  hands  of  rightly-consecrated  priests,  and 
then  be  disposed  to  risk  their  eternal  destiny  on  such  flimsy 
arguments  as  those  which  are  alleged  to  justify  the  usurpations 
of  Henry  VHI.,  who  abjured  the  long-acknt)wledged  supremacy- 
of  the  Pope  in  England,  and  proclaimed  himself  the  head  of  the 
church  and  defender  of  the  faith  ?  Can  such  persons  commit 
the  life  of  their  souls,  derived  as  it  is  from  the  authorized  ad- 
ministration of  water,  bread  and  wine,  to  the  keeping  of  an 
order  of  priests  sprung  from  that  race  of  men  who  all  hung  in 
abject  dependence  on  the  nod  of  Elizabeth,  a  queen  who  had  it 
in  her  power  to  say  to  the  Bishop  of  Peterborough,  that  if  he 
did  not  do  as  she  bade  him,  "  By  God,  I  wiM  unfrock  you  ?" 
Surely,  in  the  view  of  these  '•  perverts,"'  as  they  are  called  in 
England,  salvation  is  a  serious  business;  and,  according  to  the 
principles  which  they  have  been  taught,  they  have  taken  the 
safe  course,  they  have  faithfully  followed  "  the  law  of  devel- 
opment/"' 

In  fact,  the  Church  of  England,  during  the  recent  agitation 
of  fundamental  questions,  has  felt  herself  pressed  by  the  horns 
of  a  dilemma,  which  was  pointed  out  by  the  Archbishop  of 
York,  in  the  year  1558,  during  the  debates  of  Parliament.  The 
bill  before  the  House  was  for  attaching  the  supremacy  of  the 
church  to  the  queen.  According  to  Hansard,  the  archbishop 
said,  that  if  the  Church  of  England  withdraw  from  the  Church 
of  Ptome,  she  v/ould,  by  that  act,  directly  forsake  and  fly  from 
all  general  councils  ;  and  he  proceeded  to  prove  that  the  first 
four  councils,  of  Nice,  Constantinople,  Ephesus,  and  Chalce 
don.  had  acknowledged  the  supremacy  of  Rome.     He  then  pre- 


48  Appendix. 


sented  this  alternative  for  consideration  :  Either  the  Church 
of  Rome  is  a  true  or  a  false  one.  If  she  be  a  true  church,  then 
we  will  be  guilty  of  schism  in  leaving  her,  will  be  excom- 
municated by  her,  and  the  Church  of  England  will  become 
herself  a  false  church.  If  the  Church  of  Rome  be  a  false 
church,  then  she  can  not  be  a  pure  source  of  apostolical  succes- 
sion ;  and  the  Church  of  England  must  be  false,  because  she 
derived  her  ordination  and  sacraments  from  that  of  Rome. 
This  argument  of  the  archbishop  is  as  strong  novr  as  ever 
against  those  who  would  establish  the  claims  of  their  church 
on  the  basis  of  a  regular  priestly  succession.  The  High 
Churchmen  of  England,  to  a  great  extent,  believe  the  Church 
of  Rorhe  to  be  essentially  a  true  church  ;  and  cherishing  this 
conviction,  they  dare  not  brave  the  hazards  of  remaining  vol- 
untarily in  a  state  of  schism.  As  Mr.  Allies  declared  for  him- 
self, they  "  will  follow  the  truth  whithersoever  it  may  lead." 
We  can  not  but  sympathize  with  the  anxieties  of  those  sin- 
cere inquirers  after  the  way  of  truth,  and  after  '•'  the  old  patlTs," 
who  have  been  brought  up  in  England  under  such  teachings  ; 
nor  less,  with  the  feeling  of  difficulty  on  the  part  of  those  who 
have  been  reared  in  the  Episcopal  Church  of  America,  which, 
as  a  branch  of  the  Parliamentary  Church  of  England,  is  beset 
with  the  same  troublesome  questions  that  take  their  rise  in  the 
doctrine  of  apostolical  succession.  After  having  been  taught 
to  place  their  hope  of  acceptance  with  God  on  the  validity  of 
sacraments  ;  after  this  doctrine  has  become  an  essential  ele- 


business  to  assure  themselves  that  they  ar-c  favored  with  the 
ministrations  of  a  priesthood  that  can  connect  itself  with  the 
Apostles  by  an  historical  chain  whose  links  have  never  been 
broken.  Who  can  tell  what  gloomy  periods  of  painful  sus- 
pense such  inquiring  spirits  are  called  to  pass  through  ?  And 
while  they  hear  their  own  priests  acknowledge  the  Church  of 
Rome  to  be  a  true  one,  and  know  that  this  "  true  church"  de- 
nounces the  one  to  which  they  belong  as  being  heretical  and 
Echismatical,  denying  the  authority  of  her  priesthood,  and  the 


AprKXDJX.  40 


validity  of  her  sacraments,  who  can  wonder  that  they  choose 
what  must,  in  that  ease,  appear  to  them  to  be  the  safe  side  ! 
Who  can  wonder  that  they  should  hail,  as  a  welcome  refuge, 
amidst  their  longings  for  mental  repose,  the  altars  of  a  church 
wiiose  antiquity  is  uifdisputed,  whose  priesthood  they  had  held 
as  sacred,  and  whose  sacraments  they  had  revered  as  God's  ap- 
pointed channels  for  conveying  the  balm  of  life  to  the  sick  and 
perishing?  No,  we  wonder  not.  There  are  many  in  this  land 
who,  by  such  steps,  have  reached  this  conclusion,  and  there  are 
many  others  now  tending  toward  it  by  a  drift  of  influences 
which  it  is  morally  impossible  for  them  to  resist. 

It  is  said  that  Lady  Fielding  has  been  for  some  time  engaged 
in  building  a  beautiful  church  on  her  estates  in  Wales,  in- 
tended, at  the  first,  for  the  Church  of  England,  but  now  des- 
tined to  be  dedicated  to  the  service  of  Rome.  In  England,  this 
change  has  produced  a  sensation.  Here,  as  well  as  elsewhere, 
there  are  many  who  expect  that  within  the  realm  of  religion 
we  may  sow  tares  and  reap  wheat.  They  deny  that  the 
Bible  alone  is  a  sufficient  guide  of  faith  and  practice ;  they  im- 
plant the  elements  of  traditionism  in  the  hearts  of  the  young, 
and  then  are  quite  astounded  when  the  natural  crop  of  Romish 
errors  appears  in  full  bloom  and  fruitage. 

In  New  York,  as  we  have  learned,  there  is  at  the  present 
time  an  Ecclesiological  Society,  designed  to  revive  a  taste  for 
mediaeval  arts  and  fashions,  v/hich,  in  this  latitude,  are  in- 
vested with  a  charm  of  novelty.  From  the  moss-covered  ruins 
of  a  decayed  ritualism,  it  culls  all  the  pretty  fancies  which  it 
may  be  convenient  to  naturalize  among  us.  Octagon  fonts — 
knives  and  spoons'  for  the  communion  with  handles  of  cross- 
form — cloths  for  the  communion-table  of  different  colors  for  dif- 
ferent holy  seasons — bier  covers  with  monograms  and  crosses 
— superaltars  and  candlesticks  of  canonical  patterns — these, 
"  and  such  like  things,"  this  society  looks  after,  and  offers 
many  of  them  for  sale,  •'  cheap  for  cash,"  so  as  to  facilitate 
their  restoration  to^the  popular  customs.  Thus,  while,  on  the 
one  hand,  transcendentalism  is  laboring  to  destroy  all  reverence 
for  the  authoritv  of  the  Word  of  God.  on  the  other  hand,  tradi- 


50  Appendix. 


tioiiism  is  aiming  to  overlay  it  with  the  miserable  rubbish  of 
the  superstitious  ages. 

What  should  be  the  effect  of  these  things  upon  the  enlight- 
ened and  true-hearted  Christian?  Certainly  it  should  be  to 
strengthen  his  love  and  increase  his  zeal  for  that  pure  Word 
of  God  which  is  ••  sure,  making  wise  the  simple,"  to  quicken 
his  resolution  to  do  all  that  lieth  in  him  to  diffuse  the  knowl- 
edge of  it :  by  means  of  Bible  classes,  Sunday  schools,  and 
family  instruction,  to  have  our  youth  rooted  and  grounded  in 
its  wholesome  truths,  and  thus  to  aid  in  hastening  that  glori- 
ous victory  over  error  which  the  redeemed  in  heaven  shall 
celebrate  in  the  song  which  the  pen  of  inspiration  has  already 
written — "  Thou  hast  magnified  thy  Word  above  all  thy 
name.'''' 


Note  B.     Pa'ge  18. 
INADEQUATE  IDEAS  OF  A  STATE  CHURCH. 

The  course  pursued  by  the  excellent  Baptist  Noel,  in  aban- 
doning the  Church  of  England,  called  forth  many  censures 
from  evangelical  ministers  ;  not  only  from  those  who  are  con- 
nected with  the  English  Establishment,  but  also  from  those 
who  hold  distinguished  positions  among  the  Episcopalians  in 
America,  A  few  years  ago,  such  censures  filled  many  a  column 
in  the  religious  papers  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic.  Even 
now,  they  are  occasionally  repeated.  It  has  been  said  that  the 
point  of  offense,  the  cardinal  error,  was,  not  in  his  becoming  a 
Baptist,  but  in  his  leaving  a  church  in  which  he  might  have 
been  useful,  aud  to  which  he  owed  a  sacred  allegiance.  Ameri- 
can clergymen  have  been  heard  to  utter  language  respecting 
Baptist  Noel,  very  much  like  that  which  Southey  wrote  respect- 
ing the  author  of  the  Pilgrim's  Progress  when  he  extolled  the 


Appendix.  51 

liberality  of  the  English  Church  toward  him,  and  declared 
that  Bunyan  was  not  persecuted  for  his  opinions,  but  only 
legally  restrained  from  exhorting  persons  to  "  regard  with  ab- 
horrence that  Protestant  Church  which  is  essentially  part  of 
the  constitution  of  this  kingdom,  from  the  doctrines  of  which 
church,  except  in  the  point  of  infant  baptism,  he  did  not  differ 
a  hair's  breadth." 

From  the  tone  of  Southey's  remarks,  it  is  pretty  evident  that 
he  overlooked  one  thing ;  namely,  that  Bunyan  considered  the 
simple  fact  that  a  church  should  be  essentially  a  part  of  the 
constitution  of  a  kingdom,  as  a  flagrant  violation  of  the  consti- 
tutional laws  of  Christianity.  And  many  intelligent  men, 
who  have  uttered  their  opinion  respecting  the  course  which 
Mr.  Noel  ought  to  have  taken,  have  made  the  same  mistake  in 
regard  to  him,  and  have  failed  to  see  the  relative  importance 
which  he  attaches  to  the  union  of  the  Church  with  the  State 
as  a  fundamental  error  in  religion,  as  the  proof  of  apostasy 
from  the  teachings  of  Christ,  and  from  the  essential  character 
of  apostolical  Christianity.  The  Christian  dispensation  is  dis- 
tinguished from  all  others  by  its  spirituality.  This  is  one  of 
its  leading  features,  and  one  which  our  Lord  placed  among  the 
initial  truths  that  he  taught,  as  we  see  was  the  case  in  those  in- 
structions that  he  gave  to  the  woman  whom  he  met  at  the  well 
of  Samaria. 

The  Jewish  economy  was  national,  and  persons  became  parts 
of  its  Church-and-State  system  by  natural  birth.  But  the  first 
truth  which  our  Lord  taught  an  inquiring  Rabbi  was,  that  under 
the  reign  of  the  Messiah  it  should  not  be  so ;  for,  '•  except  a 
man  be  boryi  again  he  can  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God." 
Christ's  harbinger  touched  the  same  point  first  of  all,  directing 
the  shafts  of  truth  against  that  reliance  on  a  connection  with 
the  Abrahamic  covenant  which  was  then  so  popular,  saying, 
'■'  think  not  to  say  within  yourselves  we  have  Abraham  to  our 
father."  He  called  on  men  to  repent  and  believe,  and  then,  by 
receiving  baptism,  |o  become  visible  and  acknowledged  mem- 
bers of  that  newly  organized  assembly  which  he  was  gather- 
ing, "  the  people  made  ready  for  the  Lord,"  the  church  of  the 


52  Appendix.* 


Messiah,  He  addressed  men  as  individuals,  and  refused  to  re- 
ceive them  on  any  other  ground  than  that  of  a  personal  faith, 
professed  in  a  spirit  of  obedience.  With  him  and  with  his 
Master,  circumcision  was  nothing,  uncircumcision  nothing,  but 
"  faith  which  worketh  by  love."'" 

These  things  being  so,  it  is  not  merely  impolitic,  but  it  is 
contrary  to  the  genius  of  Christianity,  contrary  to  its  essential 
elements  of  doctrine,  to  admit  any  one  to  any  rite  of  the  church 
on  account  of  his  having  been  born  within  its  pale,  or  to  make 
the  church  itself  a  part  of  a  political  system  of  government. 
He  who  sees  this  truth  as  clearly  as  Mr.  Noel  sees  it,  can  not 
keep  "  a  conscience  void  of  offense,"  and  yet  maintain  a  con- 
nection with  a  State  Church,  governed  by  a  Parliament,  and 
owning  a  queen  as  its  legal  head.  To  any  one  who  takes  the 
New  Testament  as  the  standard  of  Christianity,  it  is  saddening 
to  look  over  the  world  and  see  how  a  simple  religion,  sent  from 
heaven  to  attract  men  thither,  has  been  subordinated  to  the  low 
views  and  mean  interests  of  a  temporal  and  secular  policy.  It 
is  saddening  to  see  how  the  governments  of  the  world,  which 
have  set  themselves  up  to  patronize  Christianity,  have  para- 
lyzed her  power  and  shorn  her  of  her  glory.  It  is  saddening  to 
see  how.  under  the  pretense  of  exalting  her,  tliey  have  debased 
her  spirit,  and  di.^graced  her  name;  how,  while  pretending  to 
establish  Christianity  by  law,  they  have  established  a  merely 
human  authority,  and  have  caused  her  to  echo  the  dogmas  of 
courts  and  councils.  And  then,  is  it  not  saddening  to  see  that, 
as  the  last  and  worst  of  all,  they  have  praised  this  establish- 
ment as  the  true,  and  only  true  church  of  Jesus  Christ  ?  As  if 
the  church  of  Christ  could  he  established  by  buman  Jaw?  As 
if  a  spiritual  religion,  Avhich  addresses  itself  to  the  free  choice 
of  men,  considered  as  free  agents,  could  be  enforced  by  legal 
enactments  !  The  thing  is  impossible.  It  involves  a  contra- 
diction. However  honored  maybe  the  history  of  any  church 
on  earth,  however  far  it  may  be  extended,  with  whatever 
names  it  may  be  distinguished  and  adorned,  its  pretense  of 
being  as  to  its  outward  constitution,  the  true  church  of  Christ, 
is  nullified  by  the  fact  that  it  is  a  church  established  by  human 


Appendix.  53 


law.  So  far  as  it  is  established  by  law  so  far  it  is  a  part  of  a 
political  system,  and  just  so  far,  constitutionally  considered,  it 
has  lost  the  character  of  a  true  church  of  Christ.  So  that  the 
mere  fact,  that  a  church  is  established  by  the  legislation  of  a 
State,  furnishes  a  sufficient  reason  why  a  Christian  man  should 
leave  it,  as  having  in  its  constitution  those  elements  which  aVe 
at  war  with  the  spiritual  nature,  the  primary  principles,  and  the 
high  moral  ends  of  the  Christian  dispensation. 

This  connection  of  religion  with  politics  has  beeii  from  age 
to  age  the  prolific  source  of  unnumbered  and  unspeakable  evils. 
It  has  blinded  men  to  the  real  nature  of  religion.  It  has  dead- 
ened their  hearts  to  a  sense  of  its  claims.  It  has  made  religion 
to  appear  as  a  mere  creature  of  circumstances,  depending,  as  to 
its  obligations,  on  the  accident  of  birth  in  a  particular  country. 
It  has  made  attachment  to  Christianity  to  be  a  matter  of  mere 
patriotism  or  prejudice.  It  has  tended  to  bind  the  weaker  class 
of  minds  in  the  fetters  of  human  creeds,  formularies,  and  ob- 
servances, and  to  alienate  the  stronger  from  all  religion  what- 
soever, as  being  the  contemptible  appendage  of  political  craft. 
True  religion,  left  to  itself  and  its  voluntary  advocates,  will 
earn  its  own  triumphs  ;  for,  "  it  is  not  by  might,  nor  by  power, 
but  by  my  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord."  And  yet  it  is  a  solemn  fact, 
deserving  to  be  thought  of,  that  the  majority  of  nominal  Chris- 
tians in  the  world  at  the  present  time  would  regard  these  say- 
ings as  containing  enormous  heresies,  and  also,  that  there  are 
clergymen  in  this  country  who  regard  the  legal  establishment 
of  Christianity  as  the  great  want  of  America. 

Hence,  while  we  care  for  a  benighted  world,  we  have  every 
reason  to  pray  that  religion  may  everywhere  be  free,  that  the 
governments  of  the  world  may  neither  oppose  it  by  their  power 
nor  contaminate  it  by  their  patronage,  but  that  they  may  yield 
to  its  moral  sway,  and  give  it  ••  free  course,"  that  it  may  be 
glorified. 


54  Appendix. 


Note  C.    Page  25, 
THE  CHRISTIAN  CITIZENS  DUTY  TO  CIVIL  GOVERNMENT. 

A  WRITER  in  the  Christian  Review,  in  an  article  on  Harper's 
edition  of  Blackstone's  CommentarieSj  takes  occasion  to  recom- 
mend the  study  of  that  work  to  readers  of  every  class  and  pro- 
fession. He  says,  '•  The  general  principles  of  our  institutions 
and  laws  are  matters  of  immediate  and  profound  interest  to 
every  individual  citizen ;  and  we  hold  it  to  be  even  culpable 
for  any  citizen  to  remain  in  ignorance  of  those  principles,  who 
has  the  opportunity  to  cultivate  an  acquaintance  with  them. 
With  sucli  views,  we  would  urge  the  study  of  the  present  edi- 
tion of  Blackstone,  which  Mr.  Wendell  has  so  well  American- 
ized, upon  intelligent  readers  of  all  classes  and  occupations." 
This  is  sound  advice,  and  in  connection  with  it,  we  would  ob- 
serve that  a  school-book  on  "  the  science  of  government''  should 
have  a  place  in  every  system  of  American  education.  Black- 
stone  can  be  read  by  comparatively  few;  but  a  work  of  this 
latter  kind  might  be,  and  ought  to  be  placed  in  the  hands  of 
every  school-boy  throughout  the  land. 

A  great  duty,  which  every  Christian  citizen  owes  to  himself, 
to  his  children,  and  to  his  country,  is  to  keep  his  mind  well-in- 
formed respecting  the  Constitution  of  the  Commonwealth,  and 
of  the  nation,  respecting  public  men  and  public  measures.  In 
despotic  countries,  the  more  ignorance  the  more  peace ;  but 
where  the  people  are  the  source  of  the  law,  '•  intelligence  is 
the  life  of  liberty."  Of  a  good  government,  sleepless  vigilance 
is  the  only  safeguard. 

Moreover,  every  citizen  needs  to  be  impressed  with  his  obli- 
gations to  use  the  elective  franchise  in  the  fear  of  God,  and  in 
the  spirit  of  enlarged  patriotism.  It  is  a  noble  legacy,  be- 
queathed to  us  by  those  who  bought  it  at  the  price  of  toil  and 
pain,  exile  and  blood.     To  prostitute  it  to  the  narrow  aims  of 


Appendix.  55 


personal  interest,  of  private  friendship,  of  a  party,  or  a  faction, 
is  a  great  ''  breach  of  trust"  in  the  sight  of  Heaven.  And  all 
party  becomes  faction  except  when  it  is  bound  together  by  some 
important  principle,  or  by  measures  in  Avhich  the  public  good 
is  involved.  For  any  one  to  throw  away  the  right  of  suffrage, 
is,  in  most  cases,  sadly  to  negelect  his  duty  to  his  country  and 
to  mankind;  and  equally  so  is  it  to  use  this  power  in  order  to 
exalt  any  candidate  to  office,  except  the  one  whom  he  deems, 
on  the  whole,  to  be  best  c|ualified  to  fill  it. 

Besides,  as  it  is  essential  to  a  good  government  to  attain  its 
ends  by  the  use  of  only  righteous  means,  every  citizen  is  bound 
to  exert  his  influence  against  the  sanctioning  of  any  other. 
Governments  are  really  bound  by  the  laws  of  righteousness,  as 
well  as  individuals,  however  often  the  reverse  of  this  may  have 
been  practically  assumed  by  this  world's  statemanship.  It  is 
this;  indeed,  which  renders  the  diplomatic  history  of  Europe  so 
sickening  to  an  honest  mind.  Nowhere  in  the  history  of  pirates, 
highwaymen,  and  swindlers,  can  darker  deeds  of  fraud,  chi- 
canery, and  intrigue  be  found,  than  in  the  negotiations  of  one 
country  with  those  of  another.  It  is,  as  Adam  Smith,  author 
of  "The  Wealth  of  Nations,"  long  ago  observed:  "Truth 
and  fair  dealing  are  almost  totally  disregarded.  Treaties  are 
violated,  and  the  violation,  if  some  advantage  is  gained  by  it, 
sheds  scarcely  any  dishonor  on  the  violator.  The  just  man, 
who,  in  all  private  transactions,  would  be  the  most  beloved,  is 
regarded  as  a  fool  and  an  idiot,  who  does  not  understand  his 
business,  and  he  incurs  always  the  contempt,  and  sometimes 
even  the  detestation,  of  his  fellow-citizens.''  This  is  a  true 
witness.  The  only  antidote  to  such  an  evil,  is  a  virtuous 
public  opinion,  and  in  order  to  strengthen  this  against  every 
infraction  of  the  principles  of  right  or  justice,  every  Christian 
citizen  should  earnestly  protest.  Thus  only  can  the  blessing. 
of  the  Almighty  Ruler  of  the  universe  be  secured.  "  Shall  the 
thrones  of  iniquity,  who  frame  mischief  by  a  law,  have  fellow-; 
ship  with  Him?"  No;  "  He  will  speak  to  them  in  his  wrath^^ 
and  vex  them  in  Ifiis  sore  displeasure  ;  he  will  rule  them  witH 
n  rod  of  iron,  and  dash  them  in  pieces  like  a  potter's  vessel." 


56  Appendix. 

The  truth  which  we  have  now  stated  becomes  especially  im- 
portant in  this  our  age  and  Republic,  because  it  is  so  common 
now  to  advocate  the  doctrine  that,  even  on  a  moral  question  so 
momentous  as  that  of  war,  the  individual  should  yield  up  his 
belief  and  his  conscience  to  the  decision  of  the  government  ; 
that,  if  a  man  believe  a  war  to  be  aggressive  and  unjust,  he 
should,  nevertheless,  engage  in  it.  or  sanction  it,  from  a  prin- 
ciple of  allegiance  to  government.  By  men  of  opposing  posi- 
tions, like  that  of  Mr.  Brownson,  the  defender  of  Popery,  on  the 
one  hand,  that  of  Cassius  M.  Clay,  the  defender  of  universal 
freedom,  on  the  other,  this  doctrine  of  loyalty  is  promulged. 
Than  this,  there  are  probably  few  political  teachings  which 
could  be  more  properly  called  anti-Christian.  Where  a  gov- 
ernment demands  that  of  an  individual  which  contradicts  his 
convictions  of  eternal  just\ce  and  the  divine  will,  the  right 
answer  is  that  of  Peter  and  the  early  Christians  to  the  Sanhe- 
drims of  their  time ;  '•  Whether  it  be  right  in  the  sight  of  God 
to  hearken  unto  you  more  than  unto  God,  judge  ye  !"' 

"What  !^'  says  one.  '•  must  every  individual  be  allowed  to  set 
up  his  own  judgment  in  such  a  case  against  that  of  the  govern- 
ment ?"  Undoubtedly  he  must,  as  far  as  his  own  conduct  is  con- 
cerned, and,  moreover,  he  must  act  on  the  convictions  of  his  own 
conscience,  at  the  peril  of  losing  his  soul — the  peril  of  final  con- 
demnation from  a  higher  than  an  earthly  tribunal — the  dis- 
pleasure of  that  just  God,  who,  to  his  adversaries,  is  "  a  con- 
suming fire.*'  To  tliis  case  belongs  the  warning  of  the  Saviour  : 
''  Fear  not  them  who  kill  the  body,  and  after  that  have  no 
more  that  they  can  do  ]  but  fear  Him.  who,  after  that  he  hath 
killed  the  body,  hath  power  to  destroy  both  soul  and  body  in 
hell  ]  yea,  I  say  unto  you,  fear  Him." 

"  But  then,"  says  the  worldly  statesman,  ''  what,  in  the 
emergency  of  war,  would  become  of  the  public  interests  ?"  It 
is  worthy  of  observation  here,  that  while  it  has  been  well  said, 
that  "  war  is  a  game,  which,  were  their  subjects  wise,  kings 
would  not  play  at,"  it  is  also  true,  that,  in  an  enlightened  and 
free  Republic,  the  servants  of  the  people  who  conduct  the  gov- 
ernment, will  always  understand,  that  they  can  never  wage  a 


Appendix.  57 

war  with  success  or  hope,  unless  they  carry  the  convictions  of 
good  men  with  them.  They  will  also  understand,  that  in  the 
view  of  Christians,  if  a  demand  of  government  is  opposed  to 
the  revealed  will  of  God,  at  that  point  the  rightful  authority 
of  government  ceases.  Let  these  maxims  be  abandoned,  and 
then,  as  far  as  all  the  great  aims  and  ends  of  a  man's  being  are 
concerned,  the  citizen  of  a  republic  is  really  enslaved  as  much 
as  the  Russian  serf  under  a  military  despotism.  His  conscience 
is  crushed,  and  he  can  not  say  that  his  soul  is  his  own.  It  is 
always  a  terrible  evil  for  a  government  to  misjudge  the  ques- 
tion of  war — to  declare  that  to  be  just  which  is  unnecessary 
and  unjust ;  but  it  is  a  far  greater  evil,  one  which  more  deeply 
wounds  a  nation's  honor,  and  depraves  a  nation's  conscience, 
for  a  government  or  a  people  to  confess  that  a  war  is  wrong,  and 
yet  to  command  their  armies  to  fight  it  out  in  spite  of  justice, 
resolving  from  year  to  year  to  furnish  the  means  to  carry  it 
forward  with  resistless  energy. 

The  great  want  of  our  country  at  this  time,  is  a  larger  body 
of  enlightened,  leading  men,  who  will  look  at  things  in  the 
light  of  reason  and  Christianity,  who  will  follow  higher  guid- 
ing lights  than  the  corrupt  political  maxims  of  the  old  world, 
who  will  be  true  to  their  own  convictions,  who  will  speak  them 
forth  with  moral  courage,  and  will  act  on  them  with  consist- 
ency. Such  men  are  God's  gifts,  and  it  becomes  Christians  to 
pray  that  He  would  raise  them  up  in  our  midst,  in  accordance 
with  the  prophecy, 

''  I  will  make  thine  officers  Peacp, 
And  thine  exactors  Kigrhteousneas." 


Appendix. 


Note  D.    Page  26.    . 
CHRISTIANITY  AND  SLAVERY. 

An  earnest  writer,  in  a  respectable  religious  journal,  while 
deprecating  agitation  on  the  subject  of  slavery,  expresses  in  the 
following  sentence  a  widely-spread  opinion: 

"  Christianity,  which,  by  its  healing  and  purifying  processes, 
obliterated  slavery  in  the  Roman  Empire,  will  doubtless  do  as 
much  for  our  Republic;  especially  as  the  Bible  is  now  satur- 
ating the  public  mind  with  its  light,  liberty,  and  love." 

Two  questions  are  here  suggested  to  us. 

1.  How  can  a  Christianity  which  sanctions  the  slave  rela- 
tion, and  prescribes  its  duties,  gradually  overthrow  it  ?  We 
believe  this  to  be  impossible.  One  practical  proof  of  this  is  the 
fact,  that  tho.se  who  advocate  the  perpetuation  of  slavery,  are 
constantly  claiming  for  it  the  sanctions  of  Christianity,  The 
overthrow  of  the  system  will  never  be  the  trophy  of  such  a 
Christianity  as  that.  Would  Christianity  have  overthrown 
idolatry,  if,  instead  of  opposing,  it  had  sanctioned  the  system  ? 

2.  On  what  grounds  is  it  asserted,  that  "  Christianity  oblit- 
erated slavery  in  the  Roman  Empire?"  So  far  is  this  from 
being  true,  the  stern  fact  stares  us  in  the  face,  that  the  Roman 
Empire  itself  was  destroyed  by  slavery.  Perhaps,  if  a  school- 
boy were  asked  the  question.  What  overturned  the  Roman 
Empire  ?  his  first  answer  would  be,  The  conquests  of  the 
northern  barbarians.  But  then,  the  question  returns.  What 
caused  that  weakness  of  the  Empire,  which  gave  the  barbarians 
a  chance  to  overturn  it  ?  The  answer  is,  The  slave  system 
within  the  Empire  corroded  the  core  of  its  strength,  and  ren- 
dered it  a  mere  shell,  unable  to  resist  the  pressure  of  its 
enemies. 

This  is  the  truth  of  history.  Tacitus  informs  us  that  the 
Romans  feared  to  let  the  number  of  their  slaves  be  known,  and 


Appendix.  59 


forbade  the  wearing  of  a  peculiar  dress,  lest  they  should  be- 
come aware  of  their  strength.  But  in  our  country,  the  God  of 
nature  had  furnished  a  peculiar  dress  for  them,  which  statute 
law  can  not  remove.  On  the  point  of  which  we  speak,  how- 
ever, Allison  gives  us  a  clear  and  simple  statement,  in  the  In- 
troduction to  his  '■'•  History  of  Modern  Europe."  (See  Harper's 
edition,  page  22.)  He  says,  "  The  steady  growth,  unequaled 
extent,  and  long  duration  of  the  Roman  Empire  proves  the 
wisdom  of  their  political  system^  but  it  fell  a  prey,  at  length, 
to  the  dreadful  evil  of  Domestic  Slavery.  It  was  this  incur- 
able evil  which,  even  in  the  time  of  Augustus,  thinned  the 
ranks  of  the  legions  ;  which,  in  process  of  time,  filled  the  armies 
with  mercenary  soldiers,  and  the  provinces  with  great  proprie- 
tors ;  which,  subsequently,  rendered  it  impracticable  to  raise 
a  military  force  in  the  southern  provinces  of  the  Empire,  and 
at  length  consumed  the  vitals  of  the  State,  and  left  nothing  to 
withstand  the  barbarians  but  nobles,  who  wanted  courage  to 
defend  their  property,  and  slaves,  who  were  destitute  of  prop- 
erty to  rouse  their  courage.*' 

Well,  if  the  Roman  Empire  fell  a  victim  to  slavery,  why  do 
we  hear  it  so  often  repeated,  that  Christianity  obliterated 
slavery  in  the  Roman  Empire  ?-  Modern  Christian  Europe  is 
not  the  Roman  Empire,  any  more  than  the  Mexico  of  our  day 
is  a  part  of  the  Spanish  Empire.  Undoubtedly,  if  the  Roman 
world  had  received  the  pure  Christianity  of  the  New  Testament 
as.  Christ  preached  it.  slavery  would  have  been  destroyed,  and 
the  Empire  would  have  been  both  renovated  and  saved.  The 
barbarian  conquests,  which  were  the  immediate  occasion  (not 
the  cause)  of  the  fall  of  the  Empire,  gave  rise  to  the  modern 
kingdoms  of  Europe ;  and  these  invaders,  having  professed 
Christianity,  developed  those  elements  of  the  true  religion 
which  they  received,  in  the  gradual  destruction  of  slavery. 

But,  in  regard  to  European  and  American  slavery,  there  is  a 
very  important  distinction  to  be  noticed.  European  slavery 
was  an  institutio^i  inherited  from  Paganism,  and,  like  other 
Pagan  institutions,  disappeared  from  modern  Europe  before  the 
march  of  Christianity.     But  American  slavery  was  originatf.d 


60  Appendix. 


hy  Christian  nations  themselves,  under  the  sway  of  a  corrupt 
and  warlike  Christianity.  From  its  first  triumphs  in  Africa 
until  the  present  hour,  it  has  sought  to  invest  itself  with  the 
sanctions  of  our  holy  religion.  For  ages  past  it  has  been 
strengthening  itself  on  this  continent,  aiming  at  extension,  and 
claiming  to  be  let  alone,  on  the  ground  that  it  is  a  Christian  in- 
stitution. Pulpits,  presbyteries,  associations,  and  religious 
presses,  like  the  Observer^  have  long  been  saying  aloud,  "  The 
apostles  let  slavery  alone,  and  we  should  follow  their  example." 
And  as  an  argument  for  this,  we  are  gravely  told  that  this 
slave  system,  which  began  under  Christianity,  if  left  undis- 
turbed, Avill  fall  by  the  power  of  that  very  Christianity  which 
sanctions  the  relation  !  Can  any  thing  be  more  absurd  than 
this  ?  We  have  no  belief  in  it,  and  for  it  we  have  no  respect. 
The  laws  of  nature  and  Providence  may  destroy  slavery  by  the 
severe  pelialties  which  they  inflict,  but  the  destruction  of  the 
system  can  never  be  the  trophy  of  a  Christianity  so  corrupt  i» 
its  essential  eleinents. 

What,  then,  is  the  proper  ground  for  the  Christian  Church  to 
occupy  ?  Evidently,  she  should  hold  forth  a  faithful  testimony 
as  to  the  original  doctrines  of  Christianity  touching  human 
rights,  touching  the  natural  equality  of  all  men  before  God  and 
before  the  law,  and  also  the  doctrine  of  Christian  brotherhood. 
In  the  early  ages,  we  know  that  true  Christians  lavished  their 
money  freely  to  redeem  their  brethren  from  bondage,  because, 
as  they  said,  ••  Christ  died  for  all  alike  ;"  and  they  believed, 
with  the  apostle  John,  ''  We  ought  to  lay  down  our  lives  for 
the  brethren.''  For  a  professed  Christian  voluntarily  to  hold  a 
brother  in  bondage,  against  his  will,  is  as  inconsistent  with 
Christ's  teachings  as  any  crimes  whatsoever.  Let  these  great 
truths,  as  taught  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  be  restored  to 
the  Church  at  large  ;  then,  and  not  till  then,  will  she  put  forth 
a  moral  power  sufflcientto  extirpate  slavery  from  the  land,  and 
elevate  her  captive  children  to  "  the  liberty  wherewith  Christ 
hath  set  them  free." 


Appendix.  61 


Note  E.    Page  28. 

MOHAMMEDAN    AND    CHRISTIAN    POWERS. 

A  MEMORANDUM  OF  THE  YEAPw  1849. 

Amono  the  strange  spectacles  that  Europe  exhibited  in  the 
year  1849,  there  was  none  more  instructive  than  the  contrast 
of  positions  occupied,  by  the  Sultan  of  Turkey,  and  their  Chris- 
tian majesties  the  Emperors  of  Russia  and  Austria,  in  relation 
to  the  cause  of  freedom.  There  is  at  this  hour  more  religious 
liberty  enjoyed  in  Turkey  than  in  those  Christian  States  which 
lie  upon  her  borders.  For  some  years  past  Turkey  has  been 
turning  her  steps  into  the  path  of  progress  and  improvement, 
and  taking  lessons  from  England,  France,  and  America  in 
regard  to  Science,  Art,  and  Education.  She  has  had  French 
officers  to  discipline  her  troops,  and  American  architects  to 
construct  her  ships.  The  young  Sultan,  now  upon  the  throne, 
is  treading  in  the  steps  of  his  father,  who  began  this  course  of 
innovation  with  a  high  hj^nd,  in  spite  of  the  inveterate  preju- 
dices which  centuries  had  strengthened.  And  now  we  have 
seen  Austria  and  Russia,  professing  Christianity,  defending  the 
worst  forms  of  ancient  despotism  by  the  union  of  their  arms, 
while  Mohammedan  Turkey  has  become  the  asylum  of  the 
oppressed  and  the  champion  of  human  rights.  Into  what  a 
false  position  is  the  Christian  religion  thus  thrown  by  its  being 
made  to  coalesce  with  systems  of  political  oppression.  Thanks 
to  Providence,  there  is  one  gentleman  upon  a  European  throne, 
although  .that  throne  is  not  called  Christian. 

The  course  of  events  in  the  present  century  has  brought  to 
view  no  change  in  relations  of  States  more  wonderful  and 
unexpected  than  that  v/hich  is  now  becoming  the  talk  of  the 
whole  world  ;  naiViely,  that  Turkey,  which  so  lately  seemed  to 
be  sinking  into  decay,  is  in  fact  developing  new  elements  of 
life,  and  rising  up  to  be  the  bulwark  against  the  baptized  bar- 


62  Appendix. 


barism  of  the  North.  The  fact  is  instructive.  It  exhibits  a 
Mohammedan  power  in  an  attitude  of  dignity  superior  to  that 
of  its  Christian  neighbors.  It  indicates  to  us  how  little  there 
is  to  choose  between  the  nominal  religion  of  the  Greek  and 
Catholic  Christians  and  the  religion  of  Mohammed.  The  simple 
Christianity  of  the  New  Testament  bears  on  its  front  the  evi- 
dence of  its  heavenly  origin,  and  is  the  greatest  blessing  which 
a  people  can  receive ;  but  it  is  often  seen  that  the  greatest 
blessing,  when  perverted,  becomes  the  greatest  curse ;  and  so 
that  nominal  Christianity  which  is  established  by  law,  which 
is  the  creature  of  politics  and  the  tool  of  kings,  which  is  taught 
by  a  state-paid  priesthood  and  maintained  by  the  sword  of  per- 
secution, is  a  more  deadly  antagonist  to  the  moral  progress  of 
a  nation  than  the  religion  of  "the  false  prophet,"'  or  even 
some  forms  of  Paganism.  Many  Christian  writers  of  England 
and  America  have  been  conciliated  to  the  prospect  of  Russian 
domination  over  Turkey  by  the  thought  that  the  cross  would 
then  supplant  the  crescent ;  but  unless  the  crescent  can  be 
supplanted  by  the  peaceful  teachings  of  the  New  Testament 
it  had  as  well  retain  its  place.  A  Russian  Christianity  with 
all  its  oppressions  would  deserve^  and  receive  the  contempt  of 
infidels,  and  would  verify  the  saying  of  the  apostle,  "  The 
name  of  God  is  blasphemed  among  the  Gentiles  through  you, 
as  it  is  written." 

But  the  favorable  changes  which  are  now  beginning  to  be 
seen  in  Turkey  arc  owing  in  a  great  degree  to  the  peaceful 
influence  of  Christian  principles,  co-operating  with  the  course 
of  Providence.  American  missionaries,  as  well  as  others,  have 
long  been  at  work  in  Turkey  without  seeming  to  accomplish 
any  good.  The  American  Board  deserves  great  praise  for  its 
perseverance  in  maintaining  the  heralds  of  the  sospel  in  that 
dark  land  when  scarce  a  ray  of  light  dawned  upon  their  pros- 
pects. They  chose  '"  to  bide  their  time."  Their  time  has 
come.  New  openings  greet  them  on  every  liand.  The  little 
leaven  is  beginning  to  spread  through  the  lump.  The  buried 
seed  is  rearing  its  blade  above  the  surface,  to  be  followed  by 
"the  ear.  and  then  the  full  corn  in  the  eai  "     The  mighty 


Appendix.  63 


element  of  missionary  influence,  so  long  in  silent  operation, 
will  soon  have  larger  scope  and  verge,  and  will  show  itself  in 
results  that  will  stand  as  memorials  of  its  triumph  on  the 
broad  field  of  History. 

Moreover,  cheering  prospects  have  been  opening  before  us  of 
late,  in  regard  to  the  progress  of  freedom  among  the  Oriental 
people  of  the  Old  World. 

Lord  Palmerston  stated  in  the  English  House  of  Commons 
that  the  Bey  of  Tunis  had  prohibited  within  his  dominions,  not 
only  the  slave-trade,  but  the  slave  system.  The  Sultan  of 
Turkey  had  issued  firmans  forbidding  the  slave-trade  among 
his  subjects  in  the  Eastern  S'cas.  The  Imaum  of  Muscat  had 
abolished  it  within  certain  latitudes.  The  Arabian  chiefs,  in 
the  Persian  Gulf  had  also  abandoned  it,  and  the  Shah  of  Per- 
sia had  published  a  firman  against  it. 

It  will  be  perceived  that  these  decisive  proceedings  have 
taken  place  in  Mohammedan  countries,  and  they  are  the  effects, 
chiefly,  of  British  influence.  It  has  been  asked  when  will  this 
"free  country"  follow  in  the  wake  of  such  noble  examples  in 
the  cause  of  freedom  ?  In  answering  this  question  it  may  be 
well  to  observe  that  the  religious  sentiment  of  Mohammedans  is, 
in  one  important  respect,  in  advance  of  the  religious  sentiment  of 
a  great  multitude  of  Christians  in  this  land.  A  Mohammedan 
deems  it  a  sin  to  enslave  his  brother  in  the  faith  ;  but  American 
Christians,  teachers  and  preachers  here,  publicly  declare  that 
the  slave  relation  is  allowed  by  Christianity,  and  is  perfectly 
consistent  with  the  relations  of  Christian  brotherhood.  Now 
this  difference  of  religious  belief  touching  slavery  must  render 
it  more  easy  to  abolish  slavery  among  Mohammedans  than 
among  Christians,  just  so  far  as  this  difference  exists.  In  the 
view  of  Mohammedans,  slavery  is.  to  a  certain  extent,  inconsist- 
ent with  their  religion.  But  in  the  view  of  many  American 
Christians  of  the  highest  standing  in  the  Church,  slavery  is  sanc- 
tioned by  Christianity.  While  such  a  state  of  sentiment  pre- 
vails among  the  ch^irches  of  America,  freedom  will  not  be  much 
indebted  to  their  religion  for  her  triumphs.  Nevertheless,  this 
class  of  persons  tells  us  that  they  are,  in  principle,  friends  of 


64  Appendix. 


freedom.  If  so,  it  is  as  men,  not  as  Christians,  that  they  are 
friends  of  freedom.  Their  religion  does  nothing  in  the  work 
of  emancipation.  Their  humanity,  their  philosophy,  their 
political  economy  may  do  something,  but  their  Christianity 
must  be  utterly  ineffective.  If  Mohammedanism  should  prevail 
universally,  personal  freedom  would  prevail  also;  but  if  this 
sort  of  Christianity  should  gain  the  world,  even  then  slavery 
might  be  perpetuated.  Truly  we  may  say  to  these  men,  "  The 
name  of  Christ  is  blasphemed  among  the  Gentiles  through  you, 
as  it  is  written." 


Note  F.     Page  30. 
COMMERCE  AND  SLAVERY. 


In  a  leading  political  paper  there  appeared  an  article  headed 
"  Commerce  versus  Abolition,''  which  is  intended  to  furnish  a 
clue  to  the  policy  of  the  North,  as  projected  by  some  of  our  states- 
men, and  to  sound  the  key-note  to  the  doctrines  which  are  deemed 
essential  to  the  preservation  of  northern  interests.  It  states  that 
in  the  city  of  New  York  there  are  about  twenty-jive  millions  of 
dollars  invested  in  the  coastwise  trade  with  the  Southern  cities 
of  the  Union  ;  that  from  the  immense  trade  connected  with 
steamers,  ships,  brigs,  and  schooners,  moving  in  fleets  to  Balti- 
more, Norfolk,  Cape  Fear  River,  Charleston,  Savannah,  Darien, 
Apalachicola,  Pensacola,  New  Orleans,  Galveston,  and  other 
Southern  ports  where  slavery  exists,  million.*?  of  dollars  go  into 
the  hands  of  our  shipbuilders,  shipwrights,  blacksmiths,  wood- 
cutters, sailmakers,  ropeweavers.  and  men  employed  in  other 
kinds  of  business.  Picturing  forth  in  glowing  colors  the  com- 
mercial prosperity  of  New  York,  it  declares  that  if  the  anti- 
slavery  doctrines,  proclaimed  by  the  democrats  on  the  platform 
at  Buffalo:  and  by  a  Whig  Convention  at  Syracuse,  shall  be 


Appendix.  65 


sanctioned  by  the  voting  masses  of  the  North,  all  this  property- 
will  be  wrecked,  made  worthless,  and  utterly  annihilated. 
Such  is  the  thrilling  appeal  which  it  addresses  to  the  pocket  of 
the  merchant,  without  one  word  of  comfort  or  of  hope  to  the 
conscience  and  the  heart  of  humanity. 

The  sentiment  of  this  article  is  not  singular.  It  accords 
with  the  tone  of  other  papers,  chiming  in  harmony  with  the 
South  Carolina  doctrine,  that  the  slave  system  of  the  United 
States  is  designed  to  be  a  perpetual  institution.  It  deprecates 
all  agitation  of  the  slavery  question.  It  involves  principles 
which  our  fathers  repudiated,  which  are  directly  opposed  to 
our  Declaration  of  Independence,  to  the  spirit  of  our  constitu- 
tion, to  the  elements  of  moral  science,  to  the  teachings  of 
Christianity;  and  all  this  under  the  guise  of  an  enlarged  spirit 
of  nationality^  '•'  For  substance  of  doctrine,"  it  maintains  this 
position  in  solemn  earnest — that  between  the  South  and  the 
North  there  should  be  an  implied  contract,  a  bargain  understood 
on  both  sides,,  that  in  consideration  of  the  gains  of  Southern 
trade,  we  will  yield  to  a  small  body  of  planters  the  right  to 
rule  the  free  millions  of  the  country,  to  mold  our  national 
policy,  and  to  fix  the  color  and  complexion  of  our  destiny  for- 
ever. 

Shall  this  be  so?  This  has  become  the  great  question  of 
our  time — a  question  for  the  men  of  the  present  generation  to 
decide.  The  responsibility  is  inevitable,  and  is  the  leading 
feature  of  that  national  probation  which  God  is  calling  us  to 
pass.  Many,  no  doubt,  would  gladly  close  their  eyes  to  this 
reality,  would  gladly  pursue  what  seems  to  be  the  interest  of 
the  hour,  and  leave  it  to  Providence  to  work  out  the  welfare 
of  humanity  without  their  co-operation.  But  this  can  not  be. 
American  freemen  must  either  passively  consent  to  be  the  tools 
of  that  great  colossal  slave-power  which  now  bestrides  the 
land  from  the  borders  of  Mexico  to  the  Canadas,  or  they  must 
rouse  up,  like  Sampson,  from  their  benumbing  sleep,  breaking 
asunder,  not  the  "  green  withes,"  nor  the  "  new  ropes,"  but  the 
golden  chains  with  which  they  have  been  bound,  and  so  achieve 
deliverance  for  themselves  and  their  posterity. 


66  Appendix. 


Numerous  and  varied  have  been  the  changes  rung,  of  late, 
upon  the  commercial  ties  that  unite  the  North  and  the  South. 
Again  and  again  have  Southern  politicians  threatened  to  break 
them;  again  and  again  have  Northern  politicians  responded 
in  accents  of  real  or  affected  terror,  and  in  pledges  of  subser- 
viency. The  writer  referred  to,  like  Demetrius  of  Ephesus, 
aims  to  rouse  the  craftsmen  by  the  rallying  cry,  •'  Our  trade  is 
in  danger;*'  to  fan  their  fears  into  a  storm  of  passion,  to  lead 
their  hosts  to  fall  prostrate  before  the  shrine  of  Commerce,  and 
to  take  up  the  strain  of  the  Ephesian  mob  as  a  kind  of  Amer- 
ican Marseilles  Hymn — "  Great  is  the  Diana  of  New  York."' 
The  North,  he  says,  have  now  the  monopoly  of  the  Southern 
coastwise  trade  :  but  unless  the  North  shall  become  quiet  on 
the  '-delicate  subject,"  the  boon  will  be  granted  to  another 
people.  As  if  the  legislation  of  the  South  had  granted  com- 
mercial favors  to  the  North  in  the  spirit  of  patronizing  kind- 
ness, grace,  and  magnanimity  !  As  if  the  prijiciples  which 
regulate  commercial  wealth,  and  the  interchanges  of  commu- 
nities, rested  on  so  shallow  a  basis  as  men's  arbitrary  enact- 
ments !  As  if  the  God  of  nature  had  not  constituted  society 
with  those  pressing  wants  which  render  mercantile  intercourse 
an  imperative  necessity  !  Why,  even  during  the  war  with 
Mexico,  American  merchants  were  engaged  in  large  transac- 
tions with  Mexican  houses  in  the  exercise  of  mutual  confi- 
dence. And  even  now,  if  Mr.  Calhoun's  darling  project  of  a 
Southern  confederacy  were  realized,  the  South  would  not  let 
her  surplus  products  rot  in  her  fields,  but  would  send  them  to 
the  most  profitable  market,,  and  would  buy  the  things  necessary 
to  supply  her  wants  just  where  she  could  do  so  to  her  own 
advantage.  The  South  has  not  helped  to  make  New  York  what 
it  is  in  the  spirit  of  a  generous  legislation,  but  by  following 
those  mighty  laws  of  wealth  which  God  established  before  the 
cotton  had  grown  in  her  fields,  or  the  sweat  of  a  slave  had 
moistened  her  soil. 

Far  be  it  from  us  to  depreciate  commerce  on  the  ground  of 
moral  and  religious  principles.  We  honor  the  spirit,  but  not 
the  wisdom,  of  those  old  Waldenses  who  abjured  trade  as  a 


Appendix.  67 


profession  on  account  of  its  corrupting  tendencies,  and  treated 
it  as  unlawful  because  of  the  "  lies  and  trickery"  with  which 
it  was  connected.  But  the  best  gifts  of  Heaven  may  be  abused, 
and  commerce  is  abused  when  it  is  made  the  minister  of  op- 
pression. This  has  often  been  done.  We  learn  from  Scrip- 
ture that  the  cry  of  "  unjust  gain"  has  pierced  the  skies,  and 
brought  down  heavy  judgments.  Commerce  has  its  dark  and 
its  bright  side,  its  aspects  of  honor  and  of  shame,  of  dignity  and 
of  meanness.  It  has  exerted  the  most  benign  agencies  ;  it  has 
found  men  ignorant,  rude,  isolated,  selfish,  and  savage,  and 
causing  them  to  feel  an  interest  in  the  common  welfare  of 
their  race,  has  becom.e  the  great  promoter  of  art,  civilization, 
and  humanity.  On  the  other  hand,  it  has  often  been  seen 
lending  its  aid  to  the  "  powers  of  darkness  •"  it  has  lighted  up 
the  flames  of  war  on  the  coast  of  Africa,  it  has  doomed  mil- 
lions to  the  horrors  of  the  middle  passage,  it  has  reddened  the 
Atlantic  with  the  blood  of  captives,  it  has  rent  the  sacred  ties 
of  domestic  relations,  it  has  ministered  to  intemperance  and 
every  form  of  satanic  lust,  and  is  threatening  now,  unless 
counteracted  by  Christianity,  to  demoralize  this  whole  nation, 
to  poison  the  deepest  springs  of  public  sentiment,  and  to  sub- 
ject us  all  to  schemes  of  policy  which  will  cause  our  children 
to  blush  over  those  pages  of  their  country's  history  that  are 
yet  to  be  written. 

All  honor,  we  say,  to  American  commerce  for  the  good  it 
has  done — for  the  aid  which  it  has  yielded  to  the  cause  of  phi- 
lanthropy and  religion.  In  the  hands  of  faithful  men  it  has 
made  many  a  wilderness  to  bloom.  Its  triumphs,  we  hope, 
are  but  just  begun,  and  that  a  bright  career  is  before  it. 
Therefore  let  it  be  the  prayer  of  Christians  everywhere,  that 
our  Commerce  may  be  consecrated  to  Truth,  to  Justice,  and 
Freedom.  Let  them  pray  that  it  may  nourish  in  us  all  that 
is  manly  and  heroic,  that  it  may  impart  the  moral  courage  to 
attempt,  as  well  as  the  power  to  do  great  things,  that  it  may 
be  the  friend  and  servant,  not  the  idol  and  god  of  the  people. 


68  Appendix. 


Note  G.    Page  36. 

GOD    AND    THE    CONSTITUTION. 

A  MEMORANDUM  OF  THE  YEAPw  1850. 

''God  and  our  country"  is  a  phrase  which  has  long  been 
consecrated  as  the  watchword  of  the  Christian  patriot.  True 
religion  is  always  consistent  with  true  patriotism.  When  the 
Jewish  people  were  carried  as  captives  into  Babylon,  they  were 
bidden  by  the  prophet  to  seek  the  good  of  the  land  which  was 
to  be  their  home;  how  deeply,  then,  must  they  have  felt  that 
the  love  of  their  native  land  was  sanctioned  and  strengthened 
by  their  religion  !  "  If  I  forget  thee,  O  Jerusalem,  let  my 
right  hand  forget  her  cunning,"  was  the  breathing  of  a  senti- 
ment in  which  piety  and  patriotism  were  united.  The  prophet 
Jeremiah,  who  rebuked  the  evils  of  his  times  without  the  fear 
of  courtiers  and  kings,  was  denounced  as  the  enemy  of  his 
country ;  but  succeeding  ages  have  always  pointed  to  his 
fidelity  as  the  proof  of  his  patriotism.  The  spurious  patriots 
of  the  day  were  wont  to  cry  '•  Our  country,  right  or  wrong," 
in  a  spirit  which  led  them  to  maintain  and  defend  the  wrong 
when  once  adopted  and  avowed ;  but  the  prophets  of  God  pro- 
nounced heavy  woes  on  those  who  called  evil  good,  and  sounded 
forth  the  message,  '•  If  ye  be  willing  and  obedient  ye  shall  eat 
the  good  of  the  land ;  but  if  ye  refuse  and  rebel,  ye  shall  be 
devoured  with  the  sword,  for  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  hath 
spoken  it." 

True  patriotism  is  alwa,ys  faithful  to  that  high  moral  prin- 
ciple without  which  no  nation  can  prosper,  and  shrinks  from 
crying  "  Peace,  peace,"  when  there  can  be  no  peace.  And  in 
no  country  where  there  is  an  enlightened  public  opinion,  where 
there  is  a  Christian  conscience,  can  there  be  peace  if  the  estab- 


Appendix.  G9 


lished  Constitution  be  of  such  a  nature  that  it  can  not  be  inter- 
preted into  harmony  with  the  laws  of  God  and  the  dictates  of 
eternal  justice.  Christianity,  truth,  and  virtue  have  all  died 
out  from  among  a  people  who  can  practically  cry — the  Consti- 
tution and  God,  inst-sad  of  God  and  the  Constitution.  In  that 
case  Divine  Providence  ever  furnishes  a  stern  commentary  on 
the  saying  of  Jesus,  "  Verily,  I  say  unto  you.  the  first  shall  be 
the  last,  and  the  last  first." 

We  have  reason  to  be  thankful  that  in  this  country  we  live  un- 
der a  Constitut'on  so  much  in  unison  with  the  principles  of  true 
Christianity.  The  demands  of  the  slave-power,  however,  have 
jarred  against  this  harmony.  The  word  slave  was  intention- 
ally ^eft  out  of  the  Constitution  by  its  framers,  expecting  as 
they  did  that  slavery  would  come  to  an  end,  and  that  then  the 
terms  of  the  Constitution  would  be  adapted  to  a  state  of  uni- 
versal liberty.  On  this  point,  the  expressions  of  Mr.  Webster, 
in  his  late  speech  in  the  Senate,  are  very  clear  and  explicit. 
He  says,  '•  The  eminent  men,  the  most  eminent  men,  and  nearly 
all  the  conspicuous  politicians  of  the  South,  held  the  same  sen- 
timents, that  slavery  was  an  evil,  a  blight,  a  blast,  a  mildew, 
a  scourge,  and  a  curse.  There  are  no  terms  of  reprobation  of 
slavery  so  vehement  in  the  North  of  that  day  as  in  the  South, 
.....'..  Then,  sir,  .when  this  Constitution  was  framed,  this 
was  the  light  in  which  the  convention  viewed  it.  The  con- 
vention reflected  the  judgment  and  sentiments  of  the  great  men 

of  the  South They  thought  that  slavery  could  not 

be  continued  in  the  country  if  the  importation  of  slaves  were 
made  to  cease,  and  therefore  they  jJrovided  that  after  a  cer- 
tain period  the  importation  might  be  prevented  by  the  act  of 
the  new  government.  Twenty  years  was  proposed  by  some 
gentleman,  a  Northern  gentleman.  I  think,  and  many  of  the 

Southern  gentlemen  opposed  it  as  being  too  long You 

observe,  sir,  that  the  term  slave  or  slavery  is  not  used  in  the 
Constitution.  The  Constitution  does  not  require  that  '  fugi- 
tive slaves'  shall  be  delivered  up.  It  requires  that  '  persons 
bound  to  service  in  one  State  and  escaping  into  another  shall 
be  delivered  up.'     Mr.  Madison  opposed  the  introduction  of 


70  Appendix. 


the  term  slave  or  slavery  into  the  Constitution ;  for,  he  said, 
that  he  did  not  wish  to  see  it  recognized  by  the  Constitution 
of  the  United  States  of  America  that  there  could  be  property 
in  men."  Such  is  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Webster,  and  he 
makes  two  things  very  clear:  1,  that  the  spirit  of  the  Consti- 
tution is  opposed  to  slavery ;  2,  that  the  letter  of  the  Constitu- 
tion was  intentionally  adjusted  to  a  state  of  liberty,  which 
was  expected  to  have  prevailed,  ere  now,  over  the  vrhole  ex- 
tent of  the  United  States. 

If  these  things  be  so,  if  it  be  true  that  the  spirit  of  the  Con- 
stitution is  at  war  with  slavery,  that  the  letter  of  the  Consti- 
tution was  purposely  framed  so  as  to  suit  itself  to  the  extinction 
of  slavery — an  event  which  the  fathers  of  the  Republic  sup- 
posed to  be  nigh  at  hand — we  earnestly  put  this  question  to 
any  honest  man  :  How  does  it  follow  from  such  premises  that 
fidelity  to  the  Constitution  now  requires  a  more  "stringent 
law"  to  facilitate  and  secure  the  restoration  of  "fugitive 
slaves  ?"'  Do  our  constitutional  obligations  require  us  to  do  a 
thing,  the  mere  anticipation  of  which  would  have  been  rev^olt- 
ing  to  the  authors  of  the  Constitution,  which  they  believed 
would  never  be  required,  and  against  the  necessity  of  which 
they  supposed  themselves  to  have  made  adequate  provision  by 
the  destruction  of  the  slave-trade  ?  We  say,  not  at  all  !  The 
Constitution  is  faithfully  observed  when  it  is  interpreted  and 
carried  out  according  to  the  views,  the  intentions,  and  the 
spirit  of  those  who  formed  and  adopted  it. 

The  more  closely  we  look  at  this  subject  in  the  light  of 
authentic  history  the  more  clearly  will  we  see  that,  as  the 
Constitution  contains  no  provisions  specifically  adapted  to 
secure  the  restoration  of  captives  into  bondage,  it  designedly 
left  the  whole  matter  to  be  regulated  practically  by  public 
sentiment ;  and  did  this  in  the  firm  belief  that  the  public  sen- 
timent of  the  country  would  extirpate  slavery,  and  would, 
therefore,  leave  no  room  for  any  one  to  apply  its  clause  re- 
specting ''  persons  held  to  service,"  to  "  men  held  as  prop- 
erty !"  Mr.  Webster  himself  has  made  this  as  clear  as  the 
sunlight ;  and  yet,  forsooth,  we  are  told  that  a  sense  of  honor, 


Appendix.  71 


a  true  fidelity  to  the  Constitution,  requires  that  public  senti- 
ment do  violence  to  itself,  ana  pass  a  law,  which,  for  our  day, 
the  authors  of  the  Constitution  would  have  pronounced  morally 
impossible.  Surely,  we  may  exclaim,  as  did  the  Hebrew 
prophet  unto  Egypt — "Where  are  they — where  are  thy  wise 
men  ?  they  have  caused  thee  to  err,  even  the  chief  pillars  of 
thy  tribes  !" 

These  views  of  the  question  before  us  may  be  amply  con- 
firmed by  the  most  incontrovertible  testimonies  ;  and  standing 
on  the  rocky  grounds  which  they  furnish,  we  maintain  that 
those  Senators  were  right  in  their  position  who  asserted,  that, 
when  the  public  conscience  is  against  a  more  stringent  law,  a 
more  stringent  law  is  unconstitutional.  If  the  provisions  of 
the  Constitution  are  now  found  to  be  ineffectual  to  secure  the 
restoration  of  slaves  to  bondage,  it  is  because  they  were  so 
made  as  ultimately  to  lose  their  stringent  force.  But,  then,  a 
change  has  come  over  the  spirit  of  the  South.  As  Mr.  Web- 
ster observes,  "  Slavery  is  not  regarded  in  the  South  now  as 
it  was  then."  And  how  does  he  account  for  this  change? 
The  answer  is,  cotton!  To  quote  again  the  Massachusetts 
Senator :  "  The  age  of  cotton  became  a  golden  age  for  our 
Southern  brethren  !"  Here  we  have  the  case  in  a  few  words — 
cotton  versus  the  Constitution — cotton  against  conscience  !  And 
now  (O  tempora  .'j,  the  learned  counsel,  the  legal  wisdom,  the 
enlightened  religion  of  the  North  "turn  aside  like  a  deceitful 
bow"  in  the  day  of  battle,  abjure  the  principles  of  our  fathers, 
and  declare  to  all  mankind  that  high  statesmanship  demands 
that  the  Constitution  shall  not  be  interpreted  by  the  law  of 
conscience,  but  by  the  law  of  the  cotton  interest  ! 

Christian  men,  friends,  and  fellow-citizens,  this  is  a  plain, 
sober  statement  of  the  truth.  To  this  position  our  political 
leaders  have  been  drifted,  and  some  religious  presses,  from 
which  we  should  have  expected  more  truthful  expositions  of 
the  matter,  have  faltered  with  them,  have  proclaimed  the 
Constitutioj.1  to  be  at  war  with  God  and  justice,  and  then  in 
the  sacred  names  of  Christianity  and  Peace  have  added,  "  Let 
the  Constitution  be  supreme!"     Believe  them  not — look  at 


Appendix. 


the  question  for  yourselves.  Our  fathers  have  not  brought 
us  into  such  a  predicament.  They  legislated  for  us  rather 
than  themselves  They  thought  that  they  had  saved  us  from 
such  a  dilemma.  Would  he,  who,  with  his  eye  on  the  slave 
system,  said,  '•  I  tremble  for  my  country  when  I  remember 
that  God  is  just- ' — would  Jefferson's  patriotic  coadjutors,  who 
avowed  a  still  higher  and  purer  tone  of  Christian  sentiment 
than  himself — would  the  men  who  signed  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  and  passed  the  ordinance  of  1787,  and  denounced 
the  slave-trade  as  piracy,  and  announced  their  purpose  .by  de- 
stroying the  slave-trade  to  destroy  the  slave  system — would 
they  have  knowingly  puf  a  clause  in  the  Constitution  which 
would  require  their  sons,  in  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury, to  establish  the  bulwarks  of  slavery,  and  become  them- 
selves subservient  to  the  behests  of  those  who  advocate  the 
perpetual  thralldom  of  an  oppressed  race,  as  their  darling  poli- 
cy ?  Nevef;  never.  "  This  wisdom  cometh  not  from  above," 
nor  from  our  fathers,  nor  from  the  Constitution,  but  is  modern, 
mercantile,  corruptingj— ••  earthly,  sensual,  and  devilish.'' 
Trample  on  such  an  interpretation  :  link  not  your  policies 
with  those  which  set  the  Constitution  at  variance  with  Heav- 
en and  Humanity,  but,  carrying  out  in  your  generation  the 
noble  sentiments  of  the  men  of  '76,  let  your  motto  be — "God 
and  the  Constitution  !" 


CHRISTIANITY 


THE    TURKISH    POWER 


OR,  THE   BKLATION   OF 


CHRISTENDOM 


C^e  Ottoman  Empire. 


ADVERTISEMENT, 


The  following  Lecture  was  delivered  early  in  the  present  year, 
before  the  Boston  Mercantile  Association  and  the  Albany  Young 
Men's  Association.  It  was  written  soon  after  the  interchange  of 
notes  between  the  Russian  and  the  Turkish  governments  touching 
the  claim  of  the  Emperor  Nicholas  to  the  Greek  protectorate.  The 
author  then  believed  that  war  was  inevitable,  and  that  European 
diplomacy  could  not  avert  it.  Succeeding  events  have  shown  that 
this  opinion  rested  on  solid  grounds.  While  the  first  sheets  of  this 
volume  were  passing  through  the  press,  it  was  a  matter  of  gratifi- 
cation to  observe  that  the  sentiments  expressed  in  this  Lecture  were 
nobly  illustrated  and  confirmed  by  the  pen  of  Lamartine  in  his 
"  masterly  paper"  on  "  The  Relations  of  Turkey  to  the  European 
Balance  of  Power,"  first  published  in  the  JS^ew  York  Daily  Times 
of  the  12th  of  September. 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  TURKISH  POWER. 


The  subject  of  this  lecture  has  been  suggested 
by  the  leading  event  of  the  passing  season.  For 
several  months  the  attention  of  the  civilized  world 
has  been  turned  toward  Constantinople.  The  old 
Queen  City  of  the  East  has  loomed  up  anew  within 
the  scope  of  general  observation,  and  has  been,  as 
she  was  wont  to  be  of  old,  the  chief  centre  of  polit- 
ical interest,  enfolding  in  her  doubtful  destiny  the 
cherished  hopes  of  the  Moslem  races,  and  the  for- 
tunes of  Europe.  It  is  a  fact  still  fresh  in  the 
memory  of  all  of  us,  that  when  the  report  of  the 
signal-gun,  heralding  the  newly-arrived  steamer, 
reverberated  along  our  shores,  every  ear  was  intent 
to  catch  the  first  announcement  of  the  news  from 
Paris,  where  it  was  long  an  undetermined  question 
whether  the  sovereign  ruler  of  thirty  millions 
should  be  called  a  president  or  an  emperor ;  but 
now  the  volcanic  fires  that  roll  in  the  depths  of 
that*  great  political  crater  are  in  comparative  re- 
pose ;  the  scene  of  the  grand  European  drama  of 


78  Christianity  and  Tuhkish  Power. 

the  nineteenth  century  is  removed  from  the  border 
of  the  Seine  to  that  of  the  Bosphorus,  where  the 
royal  heir  of  a  power  that  was  once  the  terror  ot 
Christendom  asks  counsel  for  his  safety,  and  rallies 
for  mortal  combat  the  last  energies  of  a  decay- 
ing empire.  In  the  year  1453,  his  great  ancestor, 
Mohammed  II.,  amid  the  storm  of  battle,  solemnly 
swore  that  he  would  find  either  a  throne  or  a  grave 
in  Constantinople  ;  after  a  lapse  of  four  centuries, 
in  the  year  1853,  the  youthful  Abdul  Medjid  has 
solemnly  sworn  that  he  will  yield  no  more  to  the 
demands  of  Russian  despotism,  but  that  he  will 
maintain  against  the  ISTorthern  Czar  the  rights  of 
liis  sovereignty,  or  be  buried  beneath  its  ruins.  All 
honor  to  the  brave  !  The  spectacle  is  sublime.  God 
speed  the  riglit ! 

Tlie  rise,  progress,  and  present  position  of  the 
Turks  in  Europe  present  to  us  a  wide  field  of  ob- 
servation, which  deserves  to  be  regarded  with  more 
than  ordinary  interest.  To  a  lecturer  it  displays  an 
aspect  that  is  at  once  attractive  and  perilous.  The 
attraction  lies  in  the  relative  importance  and  the 
practical  bearings  of  the  subject  itself.  The  peril 
lies  in  the  difiiculty  of  bringing  a  subject  so  vast 
and  so  many-sided  within  the  limits  assigned  to  a 
single  discourse,  so  that  it  shall  have  an  impress  of 
unity,  shall  stand  clearly  forth  in  its  own  individ- 
uality of  character,  and  be  made  to  subserve  the 
purposes  of  entertainment  and  utility.  Many  a  lec- 
turer who  has  attempted  a  subject  requiring  histori- 
cal illustration,  or  has  attempted  to  discourse  diVect- 
ly  on  history  itself,  has  felt  his  mind  glowing  with 


ChEISTIx\.NITY    AM)    TuRKISH    PoWEE.  Y9 


warmth  that  he  could  ]i.'>t  impart,  and  has  utterly 
failed  of  his  aim  because  he  has  forgotten  that  an 
array  of  facts,  dates,  and  names,  although  very 
proper  for  a  school-room,  are  out  of  place  in  a  lec- 
ture-room ;  that  to  those  who  have  already  studied 
the  subject,  such  an  enumeration  is  tedious,  and 
that  to  others  it  conveys  scarcely  a  ray  of  new  light 
or  a  particle  of  useful  information.  If  is  not  an 
agreeable  situation  in  which  an  audience  finds  it- 
self when  ^  speaker,  whom  it  is  their  aim  to  follow, 
becomes  lost  from  view  in  the  mazes  of  recondite  re- 
search, or  swamped  in  a  bog  of  uncertain  speculation. 
It  is  my  wish,  however,  to  exhibit  the  original  es- 
tablishment in  connection  with  the  present  position 
of  the  Turks  in  Europe  by  means  of  such  historical 
lights  as  I  may  be  able  to  throw  around  it,  so  far  as 
they  may  enliven  our  conceptions  of  the  real  im- 
portance of  the  present  crisis,  or  aid  in  forming  an 
opinion  as  to  the  course  of  events  which  is  now 
hastening  forward  to  some  great  consummation 
that  shall  hereafter  be  regarded  as  a  memorable 
epoch.  With  this  view,  let  me  ask  yon  to  accom- 
pany me  in  imagination  to  a  distant  scene  which 
may  furnish  a  stand-point  from  which  to  survey 
with  advantage  the  historical  landscape  that  lies 
before  us. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1839  it  was  my  fortune 
to  pass  a  few  weeks  in  Constantinople.  Our  late 
countryman,  Mr.  Rhodes,  was  then  acting  as  naval 
constructor  to  the  Sultan,  being  in  that  office  the 
successor  of  Henry  Eckford,  of  New  York.  While 
walking  one  day  in  the  navy  yard  in  company  with 


80  Christianity  and  Turkish  Powek. 

Mr.  Khodes,  my  attention  was  drawn  to  a  youth  of 
delicate  frame  and  somewhat  languid  air,  who  was 
amusing  himself,  as  boys  are  wont,  in  roving  about 
amongthe  curious  objects  of  the  place,  and  in  witness- 
ing the  din  and  stir  of  the  workmen's  operations.  It 
was  Abdul  Medjid,  the  present  reigning  Sultan,  who 
was  then  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  is  now,  therefore, 
but  a  little  over  thirty ;  a  youthful  sovereign  certain- 
ly, considering  the  diJSiculties  with  which  he  is  call- 
ed to  grapple,  the  skill,  tact,  and  force  of  character 
which  his  emergencies  now  demand.  It  was  then 
a  prevailing  sentiment  in  Constantinople,  that  if 
the  young  prince  should  be  deprived  of  his  father 
in  early  life,  his  reign  would  be  a  stormy  one  ;  in- 
asmuch as  it  was  expected  that  the  old  factious  dis- 
cords would  break  forth  afresh,  and  that  Russia 
would  embrace  the  earliest  opportunity  to  find  a 
pretext  for  war,  in  order  to  realize  the  aim  of  her 
ambition  to  possess  a  city  of  which  the  Emperor 
Alexander  w^as  wont  to  say,  "  It  is  the  key  of  my 
house." 

On  the  following  day  I  was  favored  with  the 
opportunity  of  seeing  the  father  of  Abdul  Medjid, 
the  Sultan  Mahmoud,  who  was  generally  ac- 
knowledged to  be  the  most  talented  and  accom- 
plished  sovereign  in  Europe.  At  that  time  he  was 
earnestly  engaged,  by  the  aid  of  American  skill,  in 
enlarging  his  navy,  and  was  pursuing  his  object 
with  the  ardor  of  an  absorbing  passion.  On  Fri- 
day, the  fifth  of  April,  1839,  a  large  war-ship, 
pierced  for  240  guns,  one  of  the  largest  in  the 
worldj  after  having  received  some  repairs,  was  to 


Christianity  and  Turkish  Power.  81 

be  towed  from  the  navy  dock  into  the  stream  ;  and 
the  hour  was  set  so  that  the  Sultan  might  be  pres- 
ent on  his  return  from  the  mosque  to  the  palace. 
Mr.  Rhodes  kindly  informed  us  of  the  appointment, 
and  placed  us  in  a  favorable  situation  for  witness- 
ing the  spectacle.  At  one  o'clock,  several  boats 
filled  with  Turkish  officers  were  seen  gliding  rapid- 
ly toward  the  dock ;  and  soon  afterward  the  Sultan 
appeared  in  his  state-barge,  seated  on  a  cushion 
beneath  a  gorgeous  silk  umbrella  which  was  held 
pver  him  by  his  attendants.  The  barge  itself  was 
elegantly  constructed  on  the  model  of  a  Turkish 
caic,  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  length, 
glittering  with  burnished  gold,  and  impelled  by 
forty  oarsmen  of  distinguished  skill,  whose  noble 
forms  were  shown  to  great  advantage  by  their 
beautiful  costume.  As  the  barge  reached  its  des- 
tination, the  sovereign  arose,  stepped  forward  with 
a  quick  and  graceful  movement,  and  took  his  posi- 
tion with  his  retinue  under  a  canopy  of  blue  silk 
spread  over  the  pavement  of  the  dock-yard.  His 
form  and  mien  seemed  fully  to  realize  one's  finest 
conception  of  embodied  majesty.  He  wore  a  red 
cap  fringed  with  blue,  a  blue  cloak,  and  white 
gloves.  He  walked  about  near  the  ship,  conversed 
respecting  her  in  an  animated  manner,  and  seemed 
to  feel  a  deep  interest  in  the  occasion.  His  fea- 
tures fully  expressed  a  strongly-marked  character. 
They  were  regularly  formed.  His  large,  black, 
pierci^ig  eye  beneath  a  finely  arched  brow— his 
mouth  indicative  of  persuasiveness  and  firmness, 
his    complexion    somewhat    pale,    yet   apparently 


82  Christianity  and  Turkish  Power. 

bearing  the  hue  of  health,  his  dark,  flowing  beard 
sweeping  his  breast,  in  unison  with  a  grand  and 
well-proportioned  frame  befitting  royalty,  consti- 
tuted an  image  of  manly  beauty  that  could  proudly 
endure  the  scrutiny  of  the  rudest  or  the  most  culti- 
vated taste. 

In  the  society  of  my  friend,  Hon.  S.  G.  Arnold, 
of  Rhode  Island,  together  with  a  group  of  travelers 
and  residents,  an  hour  had  been  passed  in  waiting 
for  his  arrival,  during  which  time  the  conversation 
turned  on  the  eventful  history  of  this  extraordinary 
man.  From  his  earlier  years  he  had  braved  the 
6torms  of  adversity.  While  yet  an  infant,  he  had 
been  bereaved  of  his  father,  the  Sultan  Abdul 
Hamid,  who  died  in  the  year  1788,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Selim,  cousin  uf  Mahmoud,  the  oldest 
male  heir  to  the  throne.  Selini  is  distinguished  in 
history  as  tlie  lirst  Sultan  who  had  a  clear  concep- 
tion of  the  absolute  necessity  of  adjusting  the  polit- 
ical and  social  state  of  Turkey  into  harmony  with 
the  progressive  spirit  of  the  age.  He  projected  a 
plan  of  reform  ;  but  with  his  clear  intellect,  nature 
had  not  endowed  him  with  the  nerve  and  force  of 
will  essential  to  executive  genius.  The  Janizaries 
ruled  in  Constantinople,  just  as  the  old  Praetorian 
Guard  once  ruled  in  Rome,  when  it  made  emperors 
mere  puppets  to  carry  out  its  decrees.  As  soon  ,as 
this  proud,  rude,  military  order  caught  a  glimpse 
of  Selim's  plans  of  reform,  they  deposed  him,  and 
elevated  the  only  brother  of  Mahmoud,  Mustapha 
IV.,  whose  weak  and  pliant  character  furnished  a 
guarantee  of  their  supremacy.     This  was  accom- 


Christianity  and  Turkish  Power.  83 

plished  in  the  year  1807,  when  the  old  Janizary 
power  won  its  last  triumph. 

From  this  era  the  course  of  events  became  pre- 
cipitous. On  the  banks  of  the  Danube  there  was 
then  residing  the  ruler  of  a  province  who  stood  first 
in  rank  among  the  military  chiefs  of  the  empire. 
This  was  another  Mustapha,  surnamed  Bairactar, 
or  standard-bearer,  the  Pacha  of  Rudschuk.  He 
resolved  that  Selim  should  be  restored  to  his  throne, 
and  the  Janizaries  subjected  or  destroyed.  He 
marched  with  an  army  of  40,000  men,  chiefly  Al- 
banians, upon  Constantinople,  and  by  a  well-con- 
certed movement  came  suddenly  thundering  against 
the  gates  of  the  Seraglio,  where  the  deposed  mon- 
arch was  confined.  He  boldly  forced  his  way,  and 
having  reached  the  third  gate,  demanded  the  ap- 
pearance of  Selim,  when  the  eunuchs  of  Mustapha 
threw  the  corpse  of  Selim  before  him,  saying,  "  Be- 
hold the  Sultan  whom  ye  seek."  Bairactar,  moved 
with  grief,  threw  himself  on  the  corpse  with  loud 
and  bitter  lamentations,  until  he  was  reminded  that 
it  was  then  no  time  for  tears,  but  for  vengeance. 
He  rushed  forward  with  his  men  into  the  presence- 
chamber  of  Mustapha,  whom  he  found  sitting  on  his 
throne,  as  on  a  gala  day,  surrounded  with  his  high 
officers  of  state.  The  victorious  rebel,  far  from 
being  overawed,  dragged  Mustapha  from  his  impe- 
rial seat,  saying,  "What  dost  thou  there?  yield  thy 
place  to  a  worthier."  That  hour  ended  the  brief 
reign /of  Mustapha,  and  on  that  night  the  cannon 
of  the  Seraglio  announced  to  Constantinople  the 
enthronement  of  his  brother  Mahmoud. 


84  Christianity  and  Turkish  Power. 

But  Mahmoud  himself  had  narrowly  escaped  a 
violent  death  by  fratricidal  hands.  Amid  the  ex- 
citing scenes  of  the  day  it  had  occurred  to  Musta- 
pha  that  by  the  murder  of  his  brother  Mahmoud  he 
would  be  himself  the  last  and  only  prince  of  the 
Ottoman  race ;  that  thus  his  person  would  be  ren- 
dered inviolable,  inasmuch  as  the  Turk,  who  has  no 
reverence  for  jyersons^  has  the  most  profound  relig- 
ious reverence  for  the  sacred  dynasty.  Eager  to 
possess  himself  of  such  "  a  charmed  life,"  he  gave 
orders  for  the  execution  of  his  brother ;  but  the 
doomed  prince  was  nowhere  to  be  found :  a  faith- 
ful slave  had  concealed  him  in  the  furnace  of  a 
bath  ;  his  hiding-place  was  not  discovered,  and 
after  the  lapse  of  a  few  hours  he  arose  from  his 
miserable  prison  to  an  ancestral  throne  which  he 
was  destined  to  establish  on  new  and  firmer  foun- 
dations. Ere  long  the  counselors  of  Mahmoud 
put  Mustapha  to  death ;  and  thus  Mahmoud  him- 
self, as  the  sole  representative  of  the  Ottoman  race, 
was  endowed  with  that  "charmed  life"  which 
threw  its  potent  spell  over  the  millions  of,  his  sub- 
jects, and  inspired  him  with  courage  to  dare  the 
worst  in  carrying  out  that  line  of  policy  to  which 
the  amiable  Selim  had  been  made  a  sacrifice. 

The  first  great  achievement  of  Mahmoud  was  the 
reduction  of  the  pachas,  who  ruled  the  provinces, 
into  settled  and  harmonious  relations  with  his  im- 
perial throne.  They  had  aimed  at  a  kind  of  reck- 
less independency,  and  had  reigned  over  their  ter- 
ritories with  a  savage  despotism,  somewhat  like  the 
feudal  lords  of  France  in  the  middle  ages.    Devoid 


Christianity  and  Turkish  Power.  85 

of  public  spirit,  they  acted  on  the  most  narrow 
and  selfish  maxims,  and  their  mutual  jealousies 
weakened  the  whole  fabric  of  the  empire.  He 
marked  out,  more  clearly  than  had  been  done  be- 
fore, the  bounds  of  their  authority,  and  brought 
them  into  a  state  of  closer  dependence  on  the  cen- 
tral government.  Badly  as  the  pachalics  have 
always  been  managed,  the  changes  which  he  intro- 
duced into  their  administration  were  real  improve- 
ments. 

He  next  approached  the  dread  alternative  that 
now  lay  directly  before  him  ;  the  thorough  reform- 
ation^ or  rather  extirpation  of  that  Janizary  power 
which  had  for  ages  ruled  and  now  threatened  to  ruin 
all  the  interests  of  the  empire.  On  account  of  the 
sanguinary  issue  of  the  struggle,  his  treatment  of 
them  has  been  regarded  by  some  as  a  savage  spe- 
cimen of  the  worst  features  of  Oriental  despotism. 
We  can  not  assent  to  the  justice  of  the  accusation. 
Mild  measures  were  urged  in  earnest,  and  urged  in 
vain.  They  drew  down  destruction  on  themselves. 
Let  us  look  at  his  position  in  the  light  of  obvious 
facts. 

While  that  consecrated  military  order  opposed 
every  improvement  as  a  detestable  innovation,  the 
Sultan  Mahmoud  saw  his  whole  military  system 
becoming,  by  its  relative  weakness,  the  jeer  and 
mock  of  his  enemies.  He  saw  his  best  troops  cut 
down  by  an  armed  rabble  in  Greece,  although  that 
same/  victorious  rabble  fled  in  terror  before  the 
disciplined  troops  of  his  own  Egyptian  viceroy. 
That   fact    spoke   volumes.      The   reformation    or 


80  Christianity  and  Turkish  Power. 


abolition  of  tlie  Janizaries  was  resolved  upon.  De- 
lay w^ould  be  folly  ;  the  momentous  hour  had"  come. 
The  FIRST  step  was  taken  in  1826,  by  increasing  his 
artillerists,  or  tojyegees^  to  the  number  of  30,000  men. 
Trained  to  the  exercise  of  guns  under  the  best  tu- 
ition of  Europe,  these  troops,  as  might  have  been 
expected,  were  hated  by  the  Janizaries,  and  they 
hated  the  Janizaries  in  return.  Having  gained  an 
important  point  in  the  establishment  of  a  reliable 
body  of  troops  educated  in  European  discipline, 
Mahmoud  urged  on  his  reform  of  the  tierce  and 
haughty  Janizaries. 

His  SECOND  step  was  an  order  that  a  limited  num- 
ber of  soldiers  should  be  selected  from  each  of  their 
regiments  to  be  drilled,  armed,  and  equipped  in 
the  European  method.  The  most  intelligent  and 
effective  officers  were  gained  over  by  the  Sultan. 
The  men  were  pleased  at  lirst  with  the  prospect  of 
enlarged  pay  ;  but  when  the  attempt  was  made  ac- 
tually to  carry  out  the  experiment  of  exchanging 
the  Janizary's  loose  slipper  for  strong  leather  shoes, 
his  Howing  chashkeens  that  had  floated  balloon-like 
ai'onnd  his  person  for  woolen  trowsers  scissored 
out  with  reference  to  etiective  liiovement  on  the 
battle-held,  his  ample  and  gaudy  jubhee  and  hay- 
neesh  for  a  tight-bodied  blue  jacket  hooked  closely 
in  front,  the  old-fashioned  turban,  to  his  eye  so  pic- 
turesque and  to  his  head  so  comfortable,  for  the 
closely  fitted  and  rimless  red  cap  with  its  blue  tas- 
sel dangling  from  its  crown,  when  in  addition  to  all 
this  he  was  called  upon  to  stand  in  the  ranks,  to 
face  about,  to  march,  to  handle  his  arms  according 


Christianity  and  Turkish  Power.  87 


to  the  most  approved  tactics  of  the  Franks,  it  seem- 
ed to  him  that  the  cup  of  his  humiliation  overflow- 
ed ;  the  charm  of  life  was  gone,  and  death  itself 
seemed  better  than  such  disgrace.  Bigotry  is  con- 
tagious, blind,  relentless.  In  any  age,  when  that 
kind  of  conservatism  which  has  been  so  elegantly 
designated  on  the  floor  of  our  national  senate  as 
"  Old  Fogyism,"  becomes  a  thoroughly  organized 
institution,  having,  as  has  been  aptly  said,  "  its  eyes 
in  its  hind-head  instead  of  its  fore-head,"  when  it  is 
armed  with  a  sense  of  dignity,  the  pride  of  power, 
and  the' sanctions  of  conscience,  a  radical  reforma- 
tion is  nearl}^  impossible  ;  it  is  "  a  thick-skinned 
monster  that  no  weapon  can  penetrate  and  no  dis- 
cipline can  tame."  It  was  so  in  the  case  before,us. 
The  untamed  passions  of  these  men  which  had  been 
for  a  moment  soothed,  flamed  u])  anew.  The  Jani- 
zaries began  again,  as  they  had  been  wont,  to  mur- 
der every  one  suspected  of  being  friendly  to  re- 
form, to  flre  their  dwellings,  and  to  exult  over  the 
ashes  of  peaceful  habitations  as  the  memorials  of 
triumph.  But  the  savage  ferocity  that  for  more 
than  four  hundred  years  had  swept  ofl"  every  obsta- 
cle in  its  way  was  now  encountered  by  a  sovereign 
whom  danger  could  not  intimidate,  and  who  was 
equal  to  any  emergency.  To  his  clear  and  com- 
prehensive glance  it  was  evident  that  the  crisis  of 
his  destiny  had  arrived,  and  he  had  too  much  great- 
ness of  soul  to  quail  before  it.  He  saw  that  he  must 
introduce  into  his  empire  the  elements  of  progress, 
that  he  must  infuse  into  it  those  new  energies  which 
would  enable  it  to  keep  pace  with  the  advancement 


88  Christianity  and  Turkish  Power. 


of  society  in  the  nineteenth  century,  or  that  it  must 
gravitate  speedily  into  an  abyss  of  ruin.  To  that 
necessary  advancement  this  old  military  organiza- 
tion had  opposed  itself  in  resolute  desperation,  and 
he  or  it  must  perish. 

The  thIrd  step  in  the  execution  of  his  plan  im- 
mediately followed.  That  was  an  order  to  the 
whole  body  of  artillerists  to  assemble  in  the  garden 
of  the  Seraglio.  The  sacred  standard  of  the  Prophet, 
which  is  never  displaye  dexcept  in  cases  of  great 
emergency,  was  there  unfurled,  and  all  his  faithful 
followers  were  bidden  to  rally  around  it.  The  ap- 
peal was  answered  with  a  loyal  spirit,  and  now,  for 
the  first  time,  the  heart  of  Mahmoud  was  elate  with 
the.  assurance  of  victory. 

The  FOURTH  act  of  this  drama  soon  disclosed  itself 
with  a  tragic  aspect.  The  rebellious  Janizaries 
were  summoned  to  appear  before  the  banner  of  the 
Prophet  as  a  sign  of  submission.  They  refused  to 
obey.  Thrice  was  the  summons  repeated.  They 
not  only  refused  obedience,  but  put  to  death  the 
grand  vizier,  and  two  other  high  officers  of  the 
crown  who  had  borne  the  royal  mandate.  All* 
hope  of  treating  with  this  array  of  ruthless  barba- 
rism was  now  abandoned  ;  the  final  order  was  given 
to  the  artillerists  to  march  u])on  them  ;  and  as  soon 
as  they  were  driven  into  tlieir  barracks,  a  destruc- 
tive fire  of  bomb-shells  and  cannon-balls  was  poured 
in  upon  them.  Those  who  escaped  from  the  burn- 
ing barracks  were  smitten  down  by  shot  or  sword, 
without  stint  or  quarter.  The  same  course  was 
followed  up  throughout  the  provinces,  so  that  in  a 


Christianity  and  Turkish  Power.  89 


few  weeks  not  a  Janizary  was  left  to  rehearse  the 
story  ;  the  order  was  utterly  destroyed  ;  the  last 
spark  of  its  life  was  trodden  out  in  the  remotest 
corner  of  the  land,  and  from  that  day  Turkey,  hav- 
ing abjured  the  spirit  of  her  old  Moslem  policy, 
arose  to  make  good  her  claim  to  an  honorable  posi- 
tion in  the  realm  of  European  civilization. 

The  hopes  that  were  awakened  by  this  signal 
movement  were  not  disappointed.  Under  the  fos- 
tering care  of  Mahmoud  the  cultivation  of  literature 
was  encouraged  ;  the  physical  resources  of  the  coun^ 
try  were  gradually  developed ;  common  schools  and 
schools  of  agriculture  were  established  ;  the  latest 
improvements  in  naval  architecture  were  adopted 
under  the  eye  of  a  naval  constructor  from  'New 
Yoriv,  and  men  of  genius  from  France,  German}^, 
Italy,  and  England  i;ound  a  welcome  at  Constanti- 
nople. Above  all,  in  spite  of  the  intolerant  spirit 
that  had  been  the  growth  of  ages  throughout  the 
Mohammedan  world,  Religious  Liberty,  which  has 
reared  its  noblest  trophies  on  our  own  soil.  Relig- 
ious Liberty,  without  which  civil  liberty  can  not 
exist,  without  which  life  itself  to  every  high-souled 
man  is  a  moral  martyrdom,  without  which  exist- 
ence itself  is  but  a  form  without  power ;  Religious 
Liberty,  after  having  been  driven  from  the  nations 
of  Europe,  that  professed  to  glory  in  the  banner  of 
the  Cross,  found  an  asylum  under  the  folds  of  the 
Crescent,  where  the  exiles  of  every  land  were  per- 
mitted to  enjoy  repose  and  safety.  It  is  this  one 
feature  of  the  reformed  Turkish  policy  that  puts  to 
shame  the  oppressive  systems  of  Russia,  Austria, 


90  Christianity  and  Turkish  Power. 

and  all  southern  Europe,  which  awakens  a  respon- 
sive sympathy  in  the  breasts  of  American  freemen, 
and  touches  a  chord  that  vibrates  throughout  the 
whole  realm  of  civilized  and  Christianized  human- 
ity. To  this  sentiment  Turkey  has  continued  faitli- 
ful.  She  has  protected  those  American  missionaries 
and  teacliers  whom  surrounding  nations  would  have 
persecuted ;  she  has  thrown  the  shield  of  her  power 
over  the  brave  Kossuth  and  his  companions  in  the 
hour  of  peril,  despite  the  frowns  and  threats  of  her 
allies  and  her  enemies ;  and  for  these  deeds  of 
moral  heroism  America  stretches  out  her  hand  to 
the  Moslem  in  the  spirit  of  brotherhood,  and  bids 
him  a  God-speed  in  his  career  of  magnanimity, 
charity,  and  honor. 

And  now,  having  set  before  us  the  modern  posi- 
tion which  Turkey  has  assumed  in  the  scale  of 
nations,  it  may  be  well  briefly  to  trace  the  rise, 
growth,  and  fortunes,  from  its  origin  to  its  establish- 
ment in  Europe,  of  a  national  power  which  has 
played  so  conspicuous  a  part  in  the  affairs  of  the 
transatlantic  world. 

It  seems  at  times,  from  various  hints  and  allusions, 
to  be  a  popular  impression  that  the  Turks  acquired 
their  firm  footing  in  Europe  in  the  year  1453,  by  the 
conquest  of  Constantinople.  I  know  not  how  to  ac- 
count for  such  an  impression,  unless  it  be  owing  to 
the  influence  of  such  vagae  outlines  of  history  as 
are  found  in  school  compends,  and  works  of  similar 
character.  Some  time  since  I  observed  in  an  inter- 
esting volume,  from  the  pen  of  an  American  travel- 
er, a  statement  to  this  effect.     Writing  of  the  Bos- 


Cheistianity  akd  Turkish  Power.  91 


phorus  lie  says,  "It  is  full  of  historic  interest,  for 
it  has  witnessed  the  assembled  armies  of  Darius, 
the  celebrated  retreat  of  Xenophon,  the  armed  mo'o 
of  phrensied  crusaders  rushing  by  thousands  to  the 
Holy  Land,  and  iinall}^  the  desperate  legions  of 
Mohammed  IL,  making  at  this  spot  his  victorious 
entry  into  Europe."  It  is  a  pity  to  spoil  a  sentence 
so  well  balanced  and  so  finely  turned  ;  but  the  writer 
could  hardly  have  been  aware  that  the  Turks  had 
obtained  a  firm  establishment  in  Europe  nearly  a 
century  before  Mohammed's  conquest  of  Constan- 
tinople. That  fierce  warrior  did  not  cross  the  Bos- 
phorus  from  Asia,  but  set  out  upon  his  campaign 
against  the  Greek  capital  from  Adrianople,  which 
was  then  the  European  capital  of  the  Turks.  A  few 
minutes  perhaps  may  not  be  misspent  in  tracing 
the  origin  and  development  of  this  singular  nation, 
which  has  of  late  displayed  a  vitality  astonishing  to 
both  friends  and  foes. 

The  decline  of  the  Tartar  power  in  Asia,  upheld 
as  it  had  been  by  the  house  of  Zinghis  Khan,  left 
an  open  field  for  the  growth  of  the  Ottoman 
dynasty. 

Its  first  development  was  in  the  conquest  of 
Bithynia  by  the  Caliph  Othman,  whose  father, 
Orthogrul,  had  emigrated  from  Persia  as  the  head 
of  a  nomadic  tribe  containing  four  hundred  fami- 
lies. The  indolence  of  the  Greek  emperor  at  Con- 
stantinople enabled  Othman  to  establish  a  kingdom 
in  Bijthynia.  Prusa  fell  before  the  arms  of  Orchan, 
son  of  Othman,  1326,  and  furnished  the  first  occa- 
sion, by  means  of  its  architecture,  baths,  and  lux- 


92  Chkistianity  and  Turkish  Power. 

uries,  to  induce  the  Turks  to  resign  their  olden 
style  of  camp-life,  and  acknowledge  the  benefits  of 
a  civilizing  culture.  Prusa  became  a  Turkish  cap- 
ital, adorned  by  its  grand  mosque,  and  its  university 
attracting  students  from  Persia  and  Arabia.  Under 
the  reign  of  Orchan  the  dominion  of  the  Turks,  not 
yet  worthy  the  name  of  an  empire,  reached  the 
shores  of  the  Bosphorus  and  Hellespont  on  the 
Asiatic  side,  and  thus  stood  face  to  face  with  the 
empire  of  the  Greeks.  Although  the  name  of 
Orchan  is  now  enrolled  next  to  Othman,  as  the 
second  on  the  list  of  Turkish  Sultans,  yet  he  claim- 
ed for  himself  no  higher  title  than  that  of  Emir ; 
but  he  was  the  leading  conqueror  of  his  time,  and 
by  the  success  of  his  arms  Asia  Minor,  which 
had  once  owned  the  sway  of  Christian  rulers, 
now  hailed  the  establishment  of  a  new  Moslem 
power. 

The  first  entrance  of  the  Turks  into  Europe  was 
solicited  hy  the  Europeans  themselves.  In  the  civil 
wars  that  raged  at  the  period  of  which  we  are 
speaking  between  the  two  great  factions  of  the 
Greek  court  of  Constantinople,  headed  by  the  elder 
and  the  younger  Andronicus,  each  party  sought 
against  the  other  the  assistance  of  the  Turks  from 
the  opposite  Asiatic  coast ;  and  at  last,  John  Can- 
tacuzene,  who  had  been  the  guardian  of  the  younger 
Andronicus,  and  regent  of  the  empire,  was  so  situated 
as  to  be  obliged  to  seize  the  throne  himself,  or  per- 
ish by  the  hands  of  factious  enemies.  Cantacuzene 
was  a  keen  diplomatist ;  he  won  the  favor  of  the 
Turkish  prince  of  Bithynia ;  and  after  he  had  as- 


Christianity  and  Tctrkish  Powkr.  93 

Slimed  the  imperial  purple,  yielded  his  daughter 
Theodora  as  the  bride  of  Orchan,  who  allowed  her 
to  retain  her  national  religion — such  as  it  was — in 
the  harem  of  Boursa.  About  the  year  1353,  Soli- 
man,  son  of  Orchan,  recrossed  the  Bosphorus  with 
a  troop  of  10,000  horse,  as  the  friend  and  ally  of 
the  Greek  emperor.  The  Turk  achieved  his  object, 
rendered  most  valuable  service,  and,  having  the 
power,  asserted  the  right  to  hold  the  fortresses  of 
Thrace,  and  to  establish  a  strong  colony  at  Galli- 
poli,  the  key  of  the  Hellespont.  It  was  an  example 
of  "  the  annexation  of  territory,"  quite  as  honorable 
as  any  that  has  been  furnished  in  our  times  by  the 
English  government  in  India ;  and  the  cabinet  of 
Washington,  in  its  negotiations  with  Mexico,  never 
followed  more  faithfully  the  beck  of  "  manifest  des- 
tiny." When  John  Cantacuzene  resolved  to  abdi- 
cate the  throne  of  Constantinople  in  favor  of  John 
Palseologus,  an  hereditary  sovereign,  it  was  his 
last  advice  to  the  factious  and  weakened  Greeks 
to  beware  of  rousing  against  themselves,  by  open 
resistance,  the  arms  of  the  disciplined  and  enthu- 
siastic Moslems. 

Ere  long  the  news  of  the  death  of  Orchan  was 
joyously  received  by  the  Greeks,  who  soon  learn- 
ed, however,  that  the  Turkish  power  was  not  con- 
centrated in  a  single  leader,  but  that  it  lay  in  the 
courage,  union,  and  energy  of  the  nation.  Orchan 
was  succeeded  by  his  son  Murad,  or  Amurath  I., 
who  proceeded  to  enlarge  the  European  heritage 
that  he  had  received  from  his  father's  hands,  and 
soon   extended  it  from  the   Hellespont  to   Mount 


94  Christianity  and  Turkish  Power. 


Hsemus,  from  the  Danube  to  the  Adriatic.  The 
wild  tribes  of  Bulgaria,  Servia,  Bosnia  acknowl- 
edged his  sovereignty  ;  and,  although  Amurath  re- 
frained from  attacking  Constantinople,  we  may 
learn  much  as  to  the  relations  of  the  parties  from 
the  one  significant  fact  that  the  emperor,  John 
Palseologus,  and  his  fuur  sons,  deemed  it  expedient 
to  obey  the  Turkish  monarch's  summons  to  attend 
his  court  and  camp.  He  chose  Adrianople  as  his 
European  capital;  and  thus  nearly  a  century  be- 
fore the  fall. of  Constantinople,  that  proud  and 
queenly  city  saw  herself  completely  surrounded  by 
the  ensigns  of  Moslem  power,  and  in  relation  to 
Christian  Europe  placed  in  a  state  of  forlorn  and 
hopeless  insulation.  During  the  reign  of  Amu- 
rath, from  1360  to  1389,  the  course  of  events  had 
drifted  to  this  portentous  issue. 

And  here  ^te  must  notice,  for  a  moment,  the  rise 
of  that  Janizary  power  which  was  organized  by 
Amurath,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  abolished  twenty- 
eight  years  ago  by  the  late  Mahmoud.  It  is  worthy 
of  remark  that  this  order  Vv^as  not  composed  orig- 
inally of  Turkish  soldiers,  but  of  young  Christian 
captives,  selected  for  symmetry  of  form,  strength, 
and  valor.  They  were  taken  from  the  conquered 
provinces,  as  well  as  levied  from  Christian  vessels 
that  p)assed  by  Gallipoli  on  the  Hellespont;  they 
were  educated  and  disciplined  for  this  specific  pur- 
pose ;  and  when  assembled  in  martial  array,  were 
consecrated  and  named  by  an  eminent  Turkish 
dervish,  Al-Hadge  Bectash,  with  fitting  ceremony. 
Having  cut  off  the  sleeve  of  his  coarse  linen  tunic, 


Christianity  and  Turkish  Power.  95 


he  placed  it  on  the  head  of  the  Aga,  as  the  rep- 
resentative of  the  whole  corps,  and  then  pro- 
nounced this  solemn  benediction:  "Let  them  be 
called  yeni-seri  (or  new  soldiers) ;  may  their  coun- 
tenfmce  be  ever  bright,  their  hand  victorious,  their 
sword  keen  !  Ma}^  their  spear  always  hang  over 
the  heads  of  their  enemies,  and  wheresoever  they 
go,  may  they  return  with  a  white  face^  The 
benediction  was  a  prophecy  which  was  literally 
fulfilled.  At  that  time  no  prince  of  Christendom 
maintained  a  body  of  infantry  in  regular  pay  as 
well  as  daily  discipline  ;  and  it  is  no  w^onder,  there- 
fore, that  throughout  Europe  the  name  of  Jani- 
zary was  pronounced  with  respect,  that  it  inspired 
universal  terror  after  the  last  league  of  the  Scla- 
vonian  tribes  had  been  crushed  in  the  battle  of 
Cossova. 

As  Amurath  was  walking  over  that  battle -field 
flushed  with  victory,  he  called  the  attention  of  his 
grand  vizier  to  the  fact  that  a  large  proportion  of 
the  soldiery  of  the  fallen  Christian  army  were 
beardless  youth.  "  Had  they  been  older,  they 
would  have  been  w^ser,"  said  the  minister,  and 
would  not  have  ventured  to  oppose  your  arms." 
At  that  moment  a  Servian  soldier,  who  w^as  lying 
among  the  slain,  sprang  forth  and  with  a  dextrous 
stroke  ended  the  life  of  Amurath. 

But  by  tlie  death  of  that  brave  prince  the  rising 
Turkish  power  received  not  the  slightest  shock. 
He  was  immediately  succeeded  by  his  son  Bajazet, 
who  was  honored  w4th  the  soubriquet  of  Ilderim, 
or  Lightning,  on  account  of  the  fiery  energy  of  his 


96  Christianity  and  Turkish  Power. 


character.  He  carried  forward  the  plans  of  his 
father  with  a  mighty  hand  throughout  tHe  most  of 
his  reign,  from  1389  to  1403,  a  period  of  fourteen 
-years.  He  extended  his  territories,  not  only  in 
Asia,  but  in  Europe.  He  crossed  the  Danube,  Sub- 
dued Moldavia,"  passed  the  gates  of  Thermopyla?, 
and  added  Greece  to  his  dominions.  At  Gallipoli 
his  galleys  commanded  the  Hellespont.  Thus  the 
great  crisis  of  Europe  in  that  century  was  hasten- 
ed. He  directed  his  march  against  Sigismimd,  king 
of  Hungary,  who,  being  related  to  several  European 
monarchs,  his  cause  became  the  cause  of  Europe. 
France  and  Germany  were  at  last  aroused ;  and 
at  IS^icopolis,  the  confederate  army  of  the  Chris- 
tians, numbering  100,000  men,  were  met  and  de- 
feated by  Bajazet.  The  slaughter  was  immense. 
The  greater  part  of  that  army,  who  had  boasted 
that  if  the  sky  should  fall  they  could  support  it 
on  their  lances,  were  slain  upon  the  field  or  forced 
to  find  a  sepulchre  beneath  the  waves  of  the 
Danube.  For  Christian  Europe  there  seemed  to 
be  no  help,  and  it  is  not  easy  for  us  to  conceive 
of  the  awful  dread  which  paralyzed  the  West- 
ern nations  when  Bajazet,  with  savage  pride,  d^e- 
clared  that  he  would  march  to  Rome,  and  would 
feed  his  horse  with  a  bushel  of  oats  from  the 
altar  of  St.  Peter.  'No  w^onder  that  Constanti- 
nople trembled  ;  but  the  progress  of  the  conquer- 
or was  checked,  not  by  arms,  but  by  a  terrible 
fit  of  the  gout  in  his  hands  and  feet.     Gibbon  cool- 


*  See  Appendix  A,  p.  11], 


Chkistianity  and  Tukkish  Power.  97 

ly  remarks  on  that  fact,  that  ''  The  disorders  of  the 
moral  are  sometimes  corrected  by  those  of  the 
physical  world,  and  an  acrimonious  humor  falling 
on  a  single  fibre  of  one  man,  may  prevent  or  sus- 
pend the  misery  of  nations.'' 

iNevertheless,  it  was  the  purpose  of  Bajazet  to 
seize  the  old  capital  of  the  Caesars,  which  now  rep- 
resented the  lioman  empire  in  the  East,  although 
its  territory  was  contracted  into  a  corner  of  Thrace, 
not  more  than  fifty  miles  in  length  by  thirty  in 
breadth.  The  Ottoman  prince  spoke  of  the  prize 
as  already  his  own,  and  was  preparing  himself  to 
possess  it,  when  a  truce  of  ten  years  was  purchased 
by  an  annual  tribute  of  30,000  thousand  crowns  of 
gold,  and  the  consent  of  the  timid  emperor,  John 
Palseologus,  that  Bajazet  should  establish  a  Turk- 
ish cadi  and  a  royal  mosque  in  that  grand  old  me- 
tropolis of  Eastern  Christendom.  The  truce  was 
ere  long  suspended,  and,  as  it  has  been  well  said, 
"  The  savage  would  have  devoured  his  prey  had  he 
not  been  overthrown  by  another  savage  stronger 
than  himself."  On  the  plains  of  Angora,  Bajazet, 
at  the  head  of  400,000  men,  yielded  to  the  superior 
genifis  of  Timour,  or  Tamerlane  the  Tartar.  ISTine 
months  after  that  defeat  the  Ottoman  monarch  died 
of  apoplexy  at  Antioch,  in  Pisidia,  and  was  con- 
veyed with  royal  pomp  to  his  own  mausoleum  at 
Boursa. 

Constantinople  was  now  threatened  by  the  Tar- 
tar power ;  but  Timour  was  diverted  from  its  easy 
conquest  by  his  grand  project  of  invading  China, 
in  order  to  avenge  the  expulsion  of  the  house  of 


98  Christianity  and  Tukkisu  Power. 

Zhinghis  Khan ;  when  in  the  vicinity  of  Otrar,  a 
sudden  fever,  aggravated  it  is  said  by  the  excessive 
nse  of  iced  water,  removed  the  monster-scourge 
from  the  face  of  the  earth.  His  power  perished 
with  him ;  it  had  swept  over  the  world  like  the 
blast  of  a  sirocco,  but  it  left  no  permanent  institu- 
tions, while  the  Ottoman  dynasty  bent  like  a  young 
sapling  beneath  the  storm,  stood  erect  again  in  the 
vigor  of  a  healthy  life,  and  in  the  pride  of  inherent 
strength. 

But  now  throughout  Europe,  for  a  quarter  of  a 
century  at  least,  there  was  a  respite  from  the  dread 
of  Turkish  invasion.  The  two  great  Moslem  pow- 
ers of  the  earth  had  come  into  conflict  with  each 
other.  The  Mogul  defeated,  dishonored,  and  crip- 
pled the  Turk,  and  then  passed  away.  Such  a 
combination  of  events  no  human  sagacity  could 
have  anticipated  ;  and  that  was  the  favorable  op- 
portunity for  the  nations  of  Christian  Europe  to 
have  arisen  in  concert,  and  to  have  expelled  the 
Asiatic  hordes  to  their  native  home.  No  warlike 
enterprise  could  h'dve  been  more  easily  achieved, 
and  to  any  one  who  calmly  surveys  the  scenes  of 
history,  the  most  remarkable  feature  in  the  condi- 
tion of  Europe  in  the  early  part  of  the  fifteenth 
century  was  the  disgraceful  apathy  which  allowed 
this  propitious  period  to  pass  away  without  one 
united  effort  to  rescue  the  choicest  lands  of  Chris- 
tendom from  the  grasp  of  the  invader.  So  far  from 
such  an  attempt  being-  made,  the  Greek  and  Latin 
churches  were  fighting  theological  battles,  anathe- 
matizing each  other,  and  fostering  those  factious 


Christianity  and  Turkish  Power.  99 


animosities  which  bhast  all  public  spirit,  all  mag- 
nanimous sentiment,  and  thoroughly  consume  the 
moral  life  of  nations.  A  people  who  can  make  no 
sacrifice  of  mutual  jealousies  for  the  sake  of  free- 
dom deserve  to  be  enslaved  ;  and  in  a  degenerate 
age  like  that,  so  mean,  so  debased,  so  treacherous 
to  the  higher  interests  of  civilization  and  human- 
ity, European  society,  we  may  be  assured,  had  not 
much  to  lose  by  the  advance  of  the  Moslem  power, 
but  very  much  to  gain  by  the  rough  schooling  .of 
adversity. 

In  the  light  of  these  truths  a  student  of  history 
may  see  in  the  ultimate  fall  of  Constantinople  the  ret- 
ributions of  a  righteous  Providence,  and  discern  the 
workinos  of  those  eternal  moral  laws  that  enfold  all 
national  destinies.  When  the  grand  vizier  of  Ba- 
jazet  advised  his  sovereign  to  delay  his  attack  on 
that  queenly  capital,  a  great  principle  lay  at  the 
basis  of  his  counsel.  He  saw  that  religious  feuds 
engender  weakness — as  they  always  must  where 
church  and  state  are  united  in  one  political  system 
— that  by  the  natural  law  of  deterioration  the 
Christian  factions  would  consume  each  other's 
strength,  and  that  then  the  prize  would  be  pos- 
sessed without  an  effort.  The  pith  and  substance 
of  his  advice  might  be  fairly  put  into  a  phrase 
of  IS^apoleon  on  a  certain  occasion:  "When  the 
pear  is  ripe  it  will  fall  into  my  hands."  In  the 
year  1422,  Amurath  II.,  grandson  of  Bajazet,  im- 
patient of  this  ripening- process,  led  200,000  men 
against  Constantinople  ;  after  his  first  repulse  a  do- 
mestic revolt  at  Boursa  called  him  awav  into  Asia. 


100         Christianity  and  Turkish  Power. 

But  in  1444:  that  same  Amurath  stood  at  the  head  of 
60,000  men  on  the  field  of  Yarn  a  to  encounter  the 
Hungarians  under  King  Ladislaus,  who,  yielding 
to  the  advice  of  Julian,  cardinal  legate  of  Kome, 
had  violated  a  treaty  sanctioned  by  the  most  solemn 
oaths  ;  and  when  a  copy  of  it,  as  a  monument  of 
Christian  perfidy  was  displayed  in  sight  of  the  con- 
tending hosts,  the  Turkish  Sultan  lifted  his  eyes 
and  hands  to  heaven,  and  called  aloud  on  "  the 
prophet  Jesus  himself  to  avenge  the  mockery  of 
his  name  and  his  religion."  In  spite  of  Hungarian 
bravery,  which  broke  the  Turkish  wings,  the  tide 
of  battle  was  turned  by  the  sturdy  phalanx  of  the 
Janizaries,  and  the  pride  and  flower  of  Eastern 
Europe  was  crushed  on  that  day  beneath  the  tramp 
of  Moslem  infantry.^ 

"The  pear"  was  now  nearly  "ripe."  It  was 
left  by  Amurath,  who  was  more  pleased  with  the 
quiet  of  cloister  life  than  with  the  cares  of  the 
court  and  camp,  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  his  son 
Mohammed  II.,  who  achieved  the  final  and  endur- 
ing conquest  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1453. 

The  character  and  education  of  Mohammed 
qualified  him  well  for  the  wants  of  his  times,  con- 
sidered from  a  Moslem  point  of  view.  Twice  dur- 
ing his  boyhood  he  had  acted  as  regent  during  his 
father's  temporary  abdication,  and  he  commenced 
his  reign  at  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  was  able 
to  converse  in  Arabic,  Hebrew,  Persian,  Latin, 
and  Greek,  and   seems  to  have  possessed  all  the 


*  See  Appendix  B,  p.  118. 


Cheistianitt  and  Turkish  Fowee.         101 


qualities  adapted  to  command  the  admiration  of 
his  countrymen  with  a  single  exception.  That  ex- 
ception was  the  lack  of  a  sincerely  orthodox  enthu- 
siasm in  behalf  of  the  Mussulman  faith  ;  but  he 
always  observed  a  convenient  distinction  between 
his  private  sentiments  as  a  man  and  his  avowed 
religion  as  a  prince.  He  was  a  keen  diplomatist, 
gifted  with  an  elegant  address,  disposed  to  act  on 
the  modern  philosophical  maxim  of  Kochefoucault, 
that  speech  is  a  faculty  given  to  man  for  the  pur- 
pose of  'Calling  thought.  He  was  a  consummate 
politician  as  well  as  an  able  warrior,  combining  an 
intense  devotion  to  sensual  pleasure  with  the  love 
of  elegant  literature  and  of  martial  glory. 

The  first  step  in  the  plan  of  action  for  the  con- 
quest of  the  capital  was  taken  in  1452,  by  gather- 
ing materials  of  wood,  stone,  and  lime  from  the 
forests  of  JSTicomedia,  the  quarries  of  Anatolia,  and 
the  kilns  of  Cataphrygia,  for  the  erection  of  a  for- 
tress at  Ausomaton,  five  miles  from  Constanti- 
nople, on  the  European  side  of  the  Bosphorns, 
just  opposite  to  a  fortress  which  Amurath,  his 
father,  had  erected  on  the  Asiatic  side.  In  vain 
did  Constantine,  the  last  Greek  emperor,  remon- 
strate against  this  proceeding.  Mohammed  replied 
to  the  Greek  ambassador,  "When  my  father  tri- 
umphed on  the  field  of  Yarna,  he  vowed  to  build  a 
fort  on  the  western  shore,  and  that  vow  I  am  bound 
to  accomplish."  It  was  accomplished,  and  a  tribute 
was  levied  on  every  Christian  vessel  that  afterward 
passed  those  straits. 

The  winter  in  which  the  year  1453  began  was 


102         Christianity  akd  Turkish  Power. 

spent  by  Mohammed  in  the  palace  of  Adrianople. 
But  the  siege  of  the  Greek  metropolis  occupied  his 
thoughts  by  day  and  haunted  his  dreams  by  night. 
Topographical  drawings  of  the  city  and  its  en- 
virons, of  the  proper  places  on  which  to  erect  a 
battery,  spring  a  mine,  or  lift  scaling-ladder,  to- 
gether with  the  consultations  of  his  friends,  en- 
grossed all  the  energies  of  his  nature.  Even  the 
science  of  the  Christians  was  pressed  into  his  ser- 
vice, and  at  Adrianople  a  foundery  was  built  under 
the  direction  of  a  Dacian  or  Hungarian  machinist, 
for  the  casting  of  cannon,  which  proved  to  be  supe- 
rior to  any  ordnance  of  the  Greeks. 

After  a  winter  of  feverish  anxiety,  operations 
were  begun  with  vigor  in  the  opening  spring,  and 
a  siege  of  forty  days  decided  the  fate  of  Constan- 
tinople. Five  ships  from  the  Grecian  isles,  from 
Sicily  and  the  Morea,  was  all  the  succor  that  Chris- 
tendom afforded  to  the  devoted  city  !  But  the 
courage  of  desperation  is  terrible,  and  the  resist- 
ance of  Constantine  and  his  heroic  band  astonished 
both  friends  and  foes.  For  a  moment  Mohammed 
was  confounded.  But  his  genius  triumphed.  The 
city  was  inaccessible  to  his  galleys  on  the  side  of 
the  Bosphorus,  but  by  means  of  a  plank-road,  be- 
smeared Vvdth  the  fat  of  sheep  and  oxen,  sixty  gal- 
leys and  brigan tines  were  carried  around  the  city 
on  rollers,  a  distance  of  two  miles,*  and  launched 
in  the  inner  harbor  of  Golden  Horn. 

It  was  on  the  evening  of  the  2Tth  of  May  that 


*  See  Appendix  C,  p.  120. 


ChKTSTIANITY    ANl)    TuRKISH    PoWER  103 

Mohammed  assembled  his  officers,  announced  his 
final  orders,  and  promised  rewards  to  successful 
valor.  About  the  same  time  Constantine  address- 
ed his  officers  in  that  last  speech  which  has  been 
called  the  funeral  oration  of  the  Eoman  empire. 
Early  on  the  29th  the  assault  of  the  Turks  was 
commenced,  and  after  eight  hours  of  hard  fighting 
Mohammed  passed  through  the  gate  of  St.  Romanus 
with  a  splendid  retinue  in  all  the  pride  of  triumph  ; 
and  in  the  evening,  as  he  walked  through  the  deso- 
late palace  of  the  Csesars,  was  heard  to  repeat  two 
lines  of  a  Persian  poet  expressive  of  the  mutability 
of  human  fortunes : 

"  The  spider  hath  woven  his  web  in  the  palace  of  power, 
And  the  owl  hath  sung  her  watch-song  on  Afrasiab's  tower." 

From  that  memorable  day  Adrianople,  the  Euro- 
pean, and  Boursa,  the  Asiatic  seat  of  Ottoman 
sway,  sank  into  mere  provincial  towns,  and  what 
was  once  the  chief  city  of  Christendom  became 
the  home  of  a  royal  power  which  then  shook  the 
world,  but  now  crouches  at  the  feet  of  Christian 
thrones  to  beg  protection  from  the  grasp  of  tlie 
Northern  Czar. 

And  now,  within  a  few  months  past,  while  the 
Turkish  empire  w^as  sustaining  peaceful  relations 
to  Europe,  we  have  seen  the  autocrat  of  the  North 
stepping  forth  from  his  place  in  the  character  of  an 
imperial  agitator,  and  urging  upon  the  Sublime 
Porte  a  demand  which  can  not  be  admitted  with- 
out n  sacrifice  of  dignity,  of  right,  and  of  security. 
Impelled  by  a  spirit  of  ambition  which  runs  in  the 


104  OuKISTIANlTr    AND    TuRKISH    PoWEK. 


blood  of  the  royal  family  of  Eiissia,  he  has  assumed 
to  be  the  protector  of  the  religious  liberties  of  the 
Greeks;  and  has  required  of  the  Divan  a  formal 
recognition  of  his  political  right  to  that  dangerous 
relation.  They  needed  no  such  protection  ;  they 
asked  none.  Just  as  if  the  Emperor  of  Austria 
should  assume  to  be  the  protector  of  the  rights  of 
the  Catholics,  and  should  demand  of  our  govern- 
ment that  there  should  be  given  to  him  a  special 
guarantee  that  the  religious  privileges  which  they 
have  enjoyed  '"  db  antiqud''' — to  cite  the  phrase  of 
Prince  Menschikoff — "  be  secured  them  forever,  on 
the  basis  of  the  stativ  quo  at  present  existing." 
Would  not  the  demand  be  resented  as  an  insult  ? 
Ay ;  the  defiant  spirit  that  gleamed  in  the  eyes, 
warmed  the  hearts,  and  nerved  the  hands  of  Cap- 
tain Ingraham  and  his  gallant  crew  in  the  harbor 
of  Smyrna,  would  thrill  through  the  nation  from 
Maine  to  California,  and  would  send  back  a  short- 
er answer  than  would  consist  with  diplomatic 
courtesy. 

I^ow  it  has  been  said  by  some,  that  enlightened 
and  enlarged  views  of  the  future  would  naturally 
turn  the  tide  of  sympathy  in  Christian  America  on 
the  side  of  the  policy  of  Russia,  inasmuch  as  un- 
der her  fostering  care  the  Christian  Greeks  would 
become  the  dominant  power  of  the  East,  and  would 
overspread  the  ruins  of  a  declining  Moslem  empire 
with  the  bloom  and  culture  of  a  true  Christian 
civilization. 

But  let  us  beware  of  these  specious  reasonino"s. 
Let    us   look   beneath    the    surface.      What   is   the 


Christianity  and  Turkish  Power.         105 

primary  and  supreme  aim  of  Kussia  ?  The  lights 
of  history  and  observation  enforce  on  us  the  con- 
viction that  she  esteems  it  to  be  her  peculiar  mis- 
sion, as  the  conservator  of  the  peace  of  nations,  to 
crush  out  the  last  spark  of  life  in  the  democratic 
element  of  the  Old  World.  She  has  baffled  all  the 
hopes  of  republicanism,  inspired  by  the  revolu- 
tions of  1848  ;  she  has  arrayed  her  power  on  the 
fields  of  Hungary  against  the  best  and  bravest 
champions  of  constitutional  liberty  that  ever  trod 
upon  an  European  soil,  and  has  cherished  in.  her 
heart  a  deadly  grudge  against  Abdul  Medjid  be- 
cause he  dared  to  offer  an  asylum  to  those  martyrs 
of  freedom  who  were  driven  into  exile  from  their 
native  lands.  As  the  Emperor  Nicholas  has  said  to 
more  than  one  American  traveler,  he  believes  that 
there  are  "  only  two  kinds  of  strong  government  in 
the  world,  the  government  of  the  people  and  the 
government  of  an  absolute  monarch  ;"  and  the 
more  clearly  he  perceives  the  power  of  democracy 
in  tlie  'New  World,  the  more  firmly  does  he  resolve 
to  resist  its  triumphs  in  the  Old.  His  menaces 
against  Turkey,  we  may  be  assured,  are  not  called 
forth  by  any  acts  on  her  part  to  control  the  relig- 
ious liberties  of  her  Greek  subjects  ;  but  it  is  her 
sympathy  with  freedom,  her  magnanimous  policy 
of  civil  and  social  progress,  her  supreme  desire  to 
press  onward  in  that  grand  march  of  improve- 
ment on  which  she  has  already  entered  in  har- 
mony with  the  spirit  of  the  age,  that  consti- 
tute "the  head  and  front  of  her  offense"  in  the 
eye  of  a  despotism   which   in   the  name  of  "di- 


106         Cheistianity  and  Turkish  Power. 

vine  right"  exults  over  the  fallen  fortunes  of  hu- 
manity. 

Yes !  this  is  the  sum  and  substance  of  the  story 
which  explains  the  movements  of  Russia  at  the 
close  of  the  year  1853.     Let  us  look  at  the  matter 
a  little  more  closely.     Most  of  us  are,  doubtless, 
familiar  with  a  conversation  of  J^apoleon,  reported 
by  O'Meara,  in  which  the  French  emperor  uttered 
the  prediction,  that  Turkey  would,  in  the  natural 
course  of  events,  in  due  time  fall  into  the  hands 
of  Russia.     "The  only  hypothesis,"  he  said,   "on 
which   France    and    England   would    ever    unite 
would   be  for  the  prevention   of  that   issue  ;    but 
even  that  union  could  not  ultimately  prevent  it." 
This  prediction  has  made  a  deep  impression  on  the 
minds  of  multitudes.     But  there  is  one  short  sen- 
tence in  that  conversation  which  states  the  alleged 
FACT  on  which  the  prediction  is  based.     The  sen- 
tence is  this  :   "The  greater  part  of  the  people  in 
Turkey  are  Greeks,  who,  you  may  say,  are  Rus- 
sians."    Time  was  when   this  sentence   contain(5i 
the  truthful  statement  of  a  fact,  and  a  fact  which 
was  the  germ  of  a  prophecy.     But  it  is  a  fact  no 
more.     The  Greeks,  long  schooled  in  adversity,  are 
now  the  rising  nation  of  the  East ;  but  in  propor- 
tion as  intelligence  becomes  diffused  among  them, 
they  exhibit  a  gradual  change  of  sentiment,  aspire 
to  a  state  of  higher  nationality,  and  express  a  strong 
antipathy   to  Russian  rule.      The   hosts  of  youth 
who  resort  to  Athens  and  other  Europeans  capitals 
for  education,  carry  back  to  their  homes  ideas  of 
freedom  and    progress   that  work   their  wav   like 


Christianity  and  Turkish  Power.         107 

leaven  through  the  popular  masses.  From  his  icy 
and  inaccessible  seclusion  the  Northern  emperor 
watches  every  flitting  shadow  on  the  disk  of  Euro- 
pean politics,  and  fears  with  reason  lest  the  hatred 
of  Russian  influence  cherished  by  the  Greeks  within 
the  Turkish  empire  should  relax  his  hold  upon  that 
empire,  and  baflB.e  his  darling  policy.  On  this  ac- 
count he  has  ventured  to  disturb  the  p.eace  of  na- 
tions, and  has  sought  by  a  daring  step  to  gain  a 
foothold  whereby  he  may  bring  the  whole  organ- 
ization of  the  Greek  clergy  more  thoroughly  under 
his  dominion,  and  so  be  able  by  their  instrumental- 
ity to  crush  the  democratic  element,  and  tread  out 
the  last  spark  of  religious  liberty  among  the  peo- 
ple. Having  taken  this  step,  he  will  not  go  back; 
and  Western  Europe  can  not  let  him  go  forward. 

Is  not  war,  then,  inevitable  in  spite  of  all  diplo- 
macy ?  It  must  come.  And  we  say,  let  it  come ! 
Oh,  let  the  Moslem  crescent  wave  still  longer  over 
the  races  to  whom  it  is  now  the  guarantee  of  peace- 
ful progress,  rather  than  give  place  to  the  N^orth- 
ern  banner  which  flaunts  the  cross  of  Christ  in  the 
face  of  the  civilized  world  as  an  ensign  of  oppres- 
sion ! 

And  while  I  breathe  this  heartfelt  wish,  I  am  not 
unmindful  of  my  position  as  an  American  citizen, 
a  Christian,  and  a  Christian  minister ;  but  I  would, 
nevertheless,  in  some  degree  reciprocate  the  spirit 
of  the  benediction  with  which  the  Sultan  Mahmoud 
once  greeted  one  of  our  own  countrymen.  It 
was/ called  forth  by  an  occasion  of  great  interest  to 
the  public  of  Constantinople — the  first  launch  of  a 


108         Christianity  and  Turkish  Power. 

vessel  of  war  built  bj  an  American  naval  architect. 
At  the  appointed  time,  while  Mr.  Rhodes,  then  act- 
ing under  the  direction  of  Henrj  Eckford,  was  pre- 
paring for  the  launch,  the  Sultan  Mahmoud  with 
his  attendants  arrived  at  the  navy  yard.  After  the 
lapse  of  several  minutes,  a  pacha  approached  Mr. 
Rhodes,  and  informed  him  that  the  Sultan  had  sent 
him  to  inquire  whether  more  men  would  not  be  re- 
quired to  assist  in  the  work.  Mr.  Rhodes  replied, 
'No  ;  that  he  had  men  enough.  The  answer  was  re- 
ported to  the  Saltan,  who  appeared  to  be  very  much 
surprised,  inasmuch  as  he  supposed  that  a  body  of 
a  hundred  men  or  more  would  be  needed  to  start 
the  vessel,  by  dragging  it  from  its  place  with  ropes, 
after  the  old  Turkish  fashion.  Thinking  it  quite 
impossible  that  so  few  men  as  he  saw  at  work  were 
sufficient  for  the  purpose,  and  that  the  question  or 
the  answer  had  perhaps  been  misunderstood,  he 
sent  the  pacha  back  to  ask  if  it  would  not  be  agree- 
able to  Mr.  Rhodes  to  have  a  body  of  soldiers  or- 
dered up  from  the  barracks.  Mr.  Rhodes  in  liis 
haste  replied  rather  abruptly,  that  he  needed  no 
help,  and  wished  to  be  let  alone.  This  answer  was 
also  reported  to  the  Sultan,  who  seemed  to  be 
rather  more  astounded  than  before.  But  ere  suffi- 
cient time  had  elapsed  for  sending  another  message, 
the  ways  were  all  prepared,  the  blocks  knocked 
aside,  and  when  the  noble  ship  glided  forward 
majestically,  "like  a  thing  of  life,"  as  if  hasting  to 
be  embraced  by  the  placid  waters  of  the  Golden 
Horn,  Mahmoud  could  not  restrain  his  emotions; 
lifting  his  hand  toward  heaven,  he  exclaimed,  "God 


Christianity  and  Turkish  Power.         109 


is  great !  God  is  great !     God  help  him  if  he  is  an 
infidel !" 

This  expression  was  significant.  It  was  in  har- 
mony with  "the  signs  of  the  times."  It  indicated 
a  power  at  work  in  the  course  of  events,  by  which, 
as  by  a  series  of  convulsive  shocks,  the  Moslem's 
prejudice  and  pride  have  been  made  to  give  way 
before  the  march  of  Christian  civilization.  And 
now,  in  the  midst  of  the  nineteenth  century,  when 
the  nominally  Christian  governments  of  continen- 
tal Europe  are  arrayed  on  the  side  of  kingly  and 
priestly  despotism,  if  we  behold  a  Mohammedan 
power  whose  tendencies,  aspirations,  and  civil  pol- 
icy favor  the  cause  of  religious  freedom,  of  liberal 
culture,  and  of  popular  progress  on  that  power, 
whatsoever  name  it  bear,  let  our  benedictions  rest ; 
let  it  be  our  prayer  that  "the  stars  in  their  courses" 
may  fight  for  it,  and  that  the  day  may  soon  come 
when,  having  completed  that  process  of  moral  trans- 
formation which  has  been  so  hopefully  begun,  it  may 
take  its  proper  place  as  a  part  of  Christ's  universal 
heritage,  and  be  hailed  as  an  acquisition  of  strength 
and  beautv  to  the  domain  of  Christendom. 


APPENDIX 


Note  A.    Page  96. 
THE  PRINCIPALITIES. 


Moldavia,  which  has  figured  so  much  of  late  in 
European  diplomacy,  became,  we  perceive,  a  Turk- 
ish province  half  a  century  before  the  capture  of 
Constantinople.  With  this  notice  touching  the  en- 
trance of  that  ill-fated  province  into  the  history  of 
Turkish  affairs,  it  may  be  well  to  connect  a  few  ob- 
servations drawn  from  the  journal  of  the  author, 
while  pursuing  a  voyage  up  the  Danube  in  the 
year  1839.  These  observations  relate  not  only  to 
Moldavia,  but  also  to  the  neighboring  principality 
of  Wallachia. 

After  a  stormy  voyage  on  the  Black  Sea,  we  en- 
tered the  Danube  on  a  pleasant  afternoon,  under  a 
bright  sun.  For  a  sea-steamer,  even  of  tlie  smallest 
size,  to  enter  one  of  the  mouths  of  this  river  in  the 
early  spring,  is  a  matter  of  considerable  moment; 
for  in  our  course  there  lay  a  bar,  around  which  the 
current  generally  varies  its  direction  during  the 
winter.     On   this  account  great  care  is  requisite. 


112  The  Principalities. 

"We  proceeded  slowly,  the  captain  and  pilot  anx- 
iously looking  out,  and  all  seemed  to  breathe  more 
freely  when  we  reached  the  main  current.  Here  a 
large  number  of  vessels  were  lying  on  both  the 
Turkish  and  Russian  shores,  waiting  for  an  oppor- 
tunity to  sail.  ISTot  able  to  proceed  with  a  full 
cargo,  they  send  a  part  before  them  in  lighters, 
and  receive  it  again  after  having  passed  the  bar. 
The  entrance  of  the  steamer  for  the  first  time  in  the 
season  produces  a  sensation,  and  the  vessels  are  full 
of  gazers.  The  land  at  the  mouth  of  the  Danube 
lies  very  low,  and  the  houses  which  line  the  shore 
do  little  to  relieve  a  dreary  landscape.  An  eagle 
careering  in  the  air  greeted  us  with  an  inquiring 
eye,  and  groups  of  white  pelicans  clustered  on  the 
bank,  or  moving  gracefully  on  the  water  kept  a 
respectful  distance,  and  made  off  slowly  on  our  ap- 
proach. 

In  ascending  the  Danube,  no  object  of  interest 
engages  the  attention  until,  after  having  passed  the 
mouth  of  the  river  Pruth,  we  reach  Galatz,  the  port 
of  Moldavia.  Here  a  small  forest  of  masts  indicates 
the  activity  of  commerce.  As  evening  was  drawing 
near,  the  shore  exhibited  a  scene  of  pastoral  beauty, 
as  large  flocks  of  sheep  were  feeding  on  the  plains, 
and  herds  were  driven  to  the  river  for  watering.  The 
arrival  of  the  steamer  made  a  gala-day  for  the  peo- 
ple ;  a  salute  of  seven  guns  was  fired,  and  a  great 
throng  of  every  class  and  size  welcomed  the  Ferdi- 
nand, and  Captain  Evertson  her  gentlemanly  com- 
mander. 

The  shore  and   shipping  are  the  most  pleasing 


The  Frincipalities.  113 


objects  which  Galatz  presents  to  the  eye  of  a  trav- 
eler. These  seemed  somewhat  picturesque  ;  but  on 
enterino:  the  town  the  charm  dissolves.  It  contains 
about  five  thousand  people  ;  the  houses  are  of  wood, 
low,  unpainted,  and  open  to  the  street,  except  a  few 
in  the  upper  part  which  are  whitewashed,  tiled,  and 
have  glass  windows  ;  the  streets  are  formed  of  log^ 
laid  cross  ways,  making  a  corduroy  road.  Every 
thing  has  a  comfortless  aspect.  Yet  the  commerce 
of  the  place  is  considerable,  and  we  were  aston- 
ished to  see  the  number  of  vessels  from  England, 
and  the  isles  of  the  Mediterranean  which  find  their 
way  here.  Moldavian  exports  are  chiefly  wax,  wool, 
tallow,  skins,  barrel-staves,  beans,  cheese,  corn,  and 
wine.  The  chief  imports  are  cotton,  coffee,  sugar, 
oil,  and  iron.  Living  is  cheap.  A  fine  goose  costs 
twelve  and  a  half  cents,  a  fat  sheep  seventy-five 
cents,  and  other  things  in  proportion.  This  port  is 
the  outlet,  not  only  of  Moldavia,  but  also  of  the 
neighboring  principality  of  Wallachia. 

Passing  the  mouth  of  the  river  Seretlf  we  come 
to  Ibraila,  the  port  of  Wallachia,  containing  25,000 
people,  and  largely  engaged  in  commerce.  Its  arti- 
cles of  export  are  the  same  as  those  of  Galatz,  and 
more  than  five  hundred  cargoes  of  wheat,  barley, 
and  oat?,  of  two  hundred  tons  each,  have  annually 
left  this  little  town.  Cattle,  sheepskins,  and  can- 
tharides  are  also  exported  in  abundance.  A  good 
horse  may  be  bought  here  for  fifteen  dollars,  and 
this  is  an  indication  of  the  scale  of  prices  for  all 
articles  connected  with  agriculture.  Yet  under  a 
good  government  the  products  of  this  principality 


114  The  Principalities. 


might  be  greatly  increased;  As  it  is,  one  can  easily 
see  that  it  opens  a  large  sphere  of  commerce,  and 
nianv  English  vessels  from  "the  United  States  of 
the  Ionian  Islands"  are  engaged  in  it,  but  we 
doubt  whether  any  vessel  from  the  United  States 
of  America  has  ever  unfurled  her  flag  in  these'^ 
Danubian  ports. 

The  provinces  of  Moldavia  and  Wallachia  ex- 
tend from  the  Danube  to  the  Carpathian  Mount- 
ains, one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  and  from  the 
Pruth  to  Orschova,  three  hundred  and  sixty  miles 
along  the  river.  Moldavia  derives  its  name  from 
the  river  Moldau,  and  was  the  earl}^  home  of  the 
Venedi,  who  have  been  called  "  the  bearers  of  the 
human  race" — the  same  people  who  settled  the 
part  of  England  now  called  Cambridgeshire,  whose 
name  is  derived  from  the  Teutonic  wordy^^i,  who 
lived  on  low  lands,  dammed  wp  the  small  rivers  so 
as  to  cover  the  marshes  with  water,  and  lived  on 
the  wild  fowl  and  fish  wliich  fattened  in  their 
watery  do^nain.  Wallachia  derives  its  name  from 
the  Illyrian  word  vlac/i,  w^hich  is  by  interpretation 
a  herdsman.  The  Romans  colonized  the  territory 
with  thirty  thousand  people,  and  held  it  for  three 
hundred  years,  but  were  obliged  to  withdraw 
their  protection  as  they  did  from  Britain,  when  the 
empire  became  weak  and  the  barbarians  strong. 
ISTevertheless  these  civilized  colonists  influenced 
the  character  of  their  barbarian  conquerors,  and, 
as  Gibbon  observes,  "the  Wallachians  still  pre- 
serve many  traces  of  the  Latin  language,  and  have 
boasted  in  every  age  of  their  Roman  descent."     It 


The  PiaxcjJ'ALiTiEs.  115 


must  be  confessed,  however,  that  at  the  present  day 
the  people  of  neither  of  those  provinces  have  much 
that  is  Roman  in  their  aspect,  manners,  or  habits. 
The  rough  dress,  the  sheepskin  coats,  the  rude  im- 
jjlements  of  agriculture  which  now  prevail  are 
fashioned  in  the  same  style  as  those  which  are 
sculptured  on  Trajan's  column  in  Kome,  erected 
more  than  seventeen  hundred  years  ago  to  com- 
memorate his  conquest  of  this  very  land,  which 
then  bore  the  name  of  Dacia.  What  a  sad  proof  is 
furnished  here  of  the  immobility  of  this  part  of 
Europe  !  For  seventeen  centuries  it  has  not  made 
one  step  of  progress,  and  no  sign  of  an  onward 
movement  has  appeared,  except  the  recent  impulse 
communicated  by  the  establishment  of  steam-navi- 
gation. In  this  point  of  view  the  curious  throng 
gathered  around  our  steamer  was  an  interesting 
and  significant  fact,  foretelling  a  brighter  future  ! 

The  population  of  these  two  provinces  is  about  a 
million  and  a  half.  The  prevailing  religion  is  that 
of  the  Greek  Church,  a  form  of  nominal  Christianity 
which  does  nothing  for  popular  improvement,  and 
has  in  it  nearly  all  those  elements  of  degenerate 
superstition  which  belong  to  Popery  itself.  Let  it 
be  always  said  in  its  praise,  how^ever,  that  it  allows 
the  Bible  to  the  people  ;  but  the  Wallachians  never 
had  the  Scriptures  in  their  vernacular  tongue  un- 
til they  were  introduced  by  the  Greek  Hospodar, 
Constantine  Mavrocordato,  who  in  the  year  1735 
had  the  Old  and  ISTew  Testaments  printed  in  the 
comnK»n  dialect.  In  order  to  accomplish  this  he 
had  to  invent  a  new  character,  composed  of  Greek 


116  The  Principalities. 


and  Slavonic  letters,  as  the  patois  of  the  country- 
had  never  before  been  reduced  to  writing. 
^  As  in  other  parts  of  Northern  Europe,  the  peas- 
antry of  these  provinces  are  in  an  abject  condition. 
They  are,  in  fact,  the  slaves  of  the  aristocracy,  and 
wholly  in  their  powder.  The  physical  appearance 
of  all  classes  is  considerably  similar,  and  perhaps 
influenced  much  by  the  climate ;  they  are  low  of 
stature,  plump,  timid,  inert,  having  soft,  silky  hair 
— characteristics  that  may  be  found  alike  in  the  rich 
proprietor  w^ho  reclines  in  his  gilded  carriage,  and 
the  laborer  who  is  jolted  along  in  his  rickety,  old- 
fashioned  wagon.  In  the  northern  parts,  w^olves 
and  bears  infest  the  Carpathian  jungles,  but  even 
these  have  a  more  gentle  and  timid  character  than 
their  several  species  in  other  lands. 

In  these  provinces  the  contrast  between  north 
and  south  is  very  marked,  the  former  sections  be- 
ing undulating,  varied,  and  picturesque,  the  latter 
marshy  and  dreary.  As  has  been  intimated,  there 
is  much  of  fertile  soil,  but  there  are  few  stimulants 
to  enterprise.  The  political  power  is  really  in  the 
hand  of  Kussia,  nominally  in  that  of  Turkey.  The 
Sultan  appoints  the  Hospodar  or  Governor,  but  he 
dares  not  name  one  whom  Russia  dislikes.  A  mil- 
lion of  piastres  is  the  tribute  which  the  Hospodar 
has  been  accustomed  to  pay  to  Turkey  for  Molda- 
via, and  two  millions  for  Wallachia.  If  these 
principalities  were  blessed  with  freedom,  and  well- 
managed,  they  w^ould  furnish  a  fine  mart  for  manu- 
factured articles,  for  which  they  could  give  so  many 
products  in  exchange ;  but  at  present  their  educa- 


The  Principalities.  117 


tion  is  so  limited,  their  tastes  and  habits  so  barba- 
rous, that  thej  have  few  of  those  wants  which 
civilization  creates. 

In  these  countries  may  be  seen  everywhere  large 
groups  of  gypsies ;  that  singular,  wandering  race, 
restless,  idle,  thievish,  superstitious ;  living  like 
Ishmaelites,  with  their  hands  against  every  man, 
and  every  man's  hand  against  them,  yet  dwelling 
in  the  presence  of  their  brethren.  They  exhibit  the 
same  traits,  whether  found  in  Egypt  or  Spain,  in 
Hungary  or  Wallachia.  In  the  two  principalities 
their  number  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand. 
Their  immigration  offers  a  curious  and  difficult 
problem.  It  has  been  said  that  they  manifest 
everywhere  not  only  the  same  features,  but  almost 
the  same  name,  "for  in  the  words  Zingani  and 
Tchingani  we  trace  the  etymological  root  which 
points  to  Egypt  as  the  native  soil  of  the  French 
Egyptian,  the  English  Gypsey,  the  Spanish  Gitano, 
the  Italian  Zingano,  and  the  German  Zigeuver." 
Like  owls,  they  seem  most  happy  at  night;  we 
have  seen  them  grouped  around  their  fires  fall  of 
life  and  glee  at  midnight,  while  in  the  day  they  ap- 
pear more  sombre. 

As  might  be  expected,  not  much  can  be  said  in 
favor  of  the  general  state  of  morals  in  Moldavia 
and  Wallachia.  The  marriage  tie  is  weak,  divorce 
is  common  for  the  most  trivial  causes,  and,  of 
course,  all  social  bonds  are  lax.  Scarcely  a  good 
serv/int  can  be  found:  every  one  is  depraved,  and 
especially  thievish.  If  the  people  were  heathen, 
there  might  be  some  hope  for  them ;   for  in  that 


118  Okigin  of  the  Hungarians. 

case  the  J  would  present  an  inviting  field  for  mis- 
sionarj  efi'ort.  But  being  nominally  Christian, 
and  under  the  p7''otectdon  of  Hussia,  "the  door  is 
shut."  In  view  of  such  facts,  an  enlightened  Chris- 
tian is  constrained  to  pray  that  the  great  IN^orthern 
despotism  may  soon  meet  the  doom  which  is  pre- 
dicted in  the  second  Psalm  against  the  govern- 
ments of  the  earth  that  impede  the  progress  of 
Christianity  :  "  He  shall  break  them  as  with  a  rod 
of  iron,  he  shall  dash  them  in  pieces  like  a  potter's 
vessel." 


Note  B.     Page  100. 
ORIGIN  OF  THE  HUNGARIANS. 

The  orio-in  of  the  Hunw-arians  has  been  much 
discussed  by  European  antiquaries ;  they  them- 
selves, however,  are  wont  to  boast  of  their  de- 
scent from  the  Huns,  and  place  Attila  in  their  list 
of  kings,  with  a  feeling  of  pride  as  strong  as  that 
which  led  the  hordes  of  Attila  to  vaunt  themselves 
of  a  descent  from  those  ancient  Huns  who  had 
been  of  old  the  terror  of  China — warlike  tribes 
against  whose  invasions  the  great  Chinese  wall, 
fifteen  hundred  miles  in  length,  was  erected  three 


Ortgin  of  thk  TlrxcARi^N?,  119 


hundred  years  before  the  Christian  era.  It  is  a 
curious  fact,  that  some  believe  the  modern  Hun- 
garians and  the  Turks  to  have  been  of  kindred 
blood,  and  that  both  came  from  Turcomania  (the 
ancient  Armenia) ;  a  theory  sustained  by  the  affin- 
ities that  are  detected  between  the  languages  and 
the  physiognomies  of  the  two  natives.  Coincident 
with  this  theory  is  the  curious  fact,  that  at  the  foot 
of  Mount  Caucasus  are  the  ruins  of  two  neighbor- 
ing towns,  called  Magyar  and  Torok  (pronounced 
Turuk) ;  the  latter  name  being  one  which  might 
easily  be  changed  into  Turk.  Undoubtedly  there 
was  a  mixture  of  various  tribes  in  the  settlement 
of  Pannonia,  now  called  Hungary,  but  general 
opinion  concedes  to  the  Magyars  their  claim  of 
carrying  in  their  veins  the  blood  of  the  Huns  who 
owned  the  sway  of  Attila.  A  thought  like  that  in- 
spires many  of  the  Hungarians  with  the  hope  that 
as  their  ancestors  overturned  the  throne  of  Rome, 
it  may  yet  be  their  own  destiny  to  overturn  the 
throne  of  Austria,  which  boasts  of  having  succeeded 
to  the  sceptre  of  Roman  empire. 

In  the  streets  and  squares  of  Buda,  groups  of 
Austrian s  and  Hungarians  may  often  be  seen  min- 
gled together,  exhibiting  a  contrast  of  appearance 
and  manner  which  can  not  fail  to  arrest  the  atten- 
tion of  a  strangei'.  As  w^as  observed  by  an  English 
traveler,  "  The  Austrians  are  in  general  of  low  sta- 
ture, sturdy  limbs,  broad  chests,  and  so  remark- 
ably/.hick  about  the  neck  and  shoulders  that  they 
seem  humpbacked.  They  have  large  heads,  broad 
faces,  and  coarse,  but  good-natured  countenances. 


120  Mohammed's  Bkigantines. 


The  Hungarians,  on  the  contrary,  are  tall  and  slen- 
der, with  narrow  shoulders,  thin  necks,  and  slight 
limbs,  wdth  an  upright  gait.  Their  heads  are 
small,  their  features  sallow,  with  dark  eyes,  and  a 
certain  wildness  in  their  looks,  as  if  they  had  not 
entirely  divested  themselves  of  the  character  of 
their  Tartarian  or  Scythian  ancestors.  Their  dis- 
positions form  as  strong  a  contrast  as  their  per- 
sons. The  Austrian s  are  slow  and  phlegmatic,  the 
Hungarians  quick  and  irritable ;  and  their  feelings 
on  the  same  subject  are  often  totally  difierent." 
Both,  too,  we  may  add,  are  fond  of  music ;  Hun- 
garian minstrelsy  is  not  unknown  in  America ; 
but  the  Austrian  faste  and  culture  came  from  the 
German  schools,  while  those  of  the  Hungarians 
were  derived  from  Italy,  in  the  days  of  Mathias 
Corvinus,  a  monarch  who  was  devoted  to  the  cul- 
tivation of  literature  and  art  in  Hungary. 


Note  C.    Page  102. 

MOHAMMED'S   BKIGANTINES. 

There  have  been  various  opinions  as  to  the  dis- 
tance over  which  these  brigantines  were  carried. 
The  following  remarks  from  the  pen  of  Rev.  E, 
Walsh,  LL.  D.,  who  resided  several  years  in  Con- 


Mohammed's  Brigantines.  121 


stantinople,  in   the  suite  of  Lord  Strangford,  are 
worthy  of  attention : 

"The  place  whore  this  extraordinary  passage 
over  the  land  was  effected,  which  decided  the  fate 
of  Constantinople,  is  a  subject  of  much  local  dis- 
cussion ;  and  the  point  assigned  for  it  is  now 
called  Balta  Limen,  about  half  way  up  the  Bos- 
phorus  to  the  Black  Sea.  Balta  was  the  name  of 
the  Turkish  admiral  who  commanded  on  the  oc- 
casion, and  this  little  port  retaining  his  name  is 
considered  decided  proof  of  the  fact.  From  hence 
to  the  harbor  the  distance  is  ten  or  eleven  miles, 
which  induced  Gibbon  to  say,  for  the  sake  cff 
probability,  that  '  he  wished  he  could  contract  the 
distance  of  ten  miles,  and  prolong  the  term  of  one 
night.'  Now,  had  Gibbon  visited  the  spot,  he 
might  have  spared  his  wish,  and  established  the 
probability.  The  place  where  the  ships  were 
drawn  over  was  not  at  Balta  Limen,  but  at  Dolma 
Bactche,  where  a  deep  valley  runs  up  from  the 
Bosphorus  to  join  that  of  the  harbor,  and  they 
were  only  separated  by  a  ridge  of  a  few  hundred 
yards  in  breadth.  This  valley  is  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  Galata  ;  and  the  Genoese  sailors  of  that 
town  are  known  to  have  materially  assisted  the 
Turks  in  this  transportation,  the  whole  distance  of 
which  was  not  more  than  two  miles,  and  might 
easily  be  performed  within  the  time  stated  by  the 
historian.  I  might  further  add,  that  Balta  Limen, 
th^  supposed  place  was  not  so  called  from  a  Turk- 
ish admiral,  but  from  a  Turkish  word,  balta,  an 
axe — as  the  vallev  was  formerlv  filled  with  wood, 


122  Mohammed's  Bkigantines. 


which  the  Baltages  or  woodmen  were  accustomed 
to  cut  down  for  fuel.  I  mention  these  facts  to 
show  you  how  necessary  tlie  actual  view  of  a  place 
is  to  the  accuracy  of  historical  detail,  and  to  re- 
move your  skepticism  on  this  point  at  least,  as  I 
would  wish  to  do  on  every  other,  where  it  may 
have  been  excited  by  passages  from  Gibbon." 


CHRISTIANITY 


AND 


TRADITION  ISM; 


AN    ESSAY 


ON 


W  1  C  K  L  I  F  F  E 


CHRISTIANITY 


AND 


TRADITIONISM 


It  has  often  been  remarked,  by  attentive  observers 
within  the  realm  of  philosophy  and  poetry,  that 
there  is  a  beautiful  analogy  between  certain  objects 
in  the  world  of  matter  and  the  world  of  mind,  on 
account  of  which,  the  contemplation  of  them  awakens 
a  kindred  feeling,  which  we  agree  to  denominate, 
according  to  the  relative  intensity  of  its  character, 
the  emotion  of  beauty  or  sublimity.  It  has  some- 
times been  questioned,  whether  those  emotions  be 
the  more  strongly  aroused  in  the  human  bosom  by 
the  objects  of  outward  nature,  or  by  that  class  of 
actions  in  the  history  of  man  which  develop  power 
of  character,  and  enkindle  the  admiration  of  moral 
greatness.  He  who  has  gazed  upon  the  heaving 
ocean,  or  stood  all  eye  and  ear  at  the  foot  of  the 
mighty  cataract,  or  amidst  the  tempest's  play  amongst 
the  mountains,  has  heard  the  live  thunder  leap  from 


126         Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

peak  to  peak,  or  looked  upon  the  "  Alpine  palaces 
Avhere  nature  sits  enthroned  in  icy  halls/'  might 
well  doubt  the  while  whether  his  soul  were  sus- 
ceptible of  an  emotion  more  awful  and  profound. 
Nevertheless,  when  such  an  one  is  called  to  turn  his 
thoughts  to  a  series  of  actions  which  exhibit  the 
loftiest  attributes  of  mind,  which  constitute  an  era 
in  the  history  of  the  race,  and  connect  themselves 
by  links  which  extend  through  intervening  centuries 
with  the  events  of  the  present  hour,  he  cannot  but 
feel,  that  to  such  deeds  of  spiritual  might,  there  is 
added  a  moral  grandeur  which  causes  them  to  take 
a  still  deeper  hold  upon  the  soul  of  man,  to  awaken 
a  nobler  homage,  an  emotion  still  more  sublime. 
He  certainly  felt  this  to  be  true,  who  asks, 

"  Is  aught  so  fair 
In  all  the  dewy  landscapes  of  the  spring, 
In  the  bright  eye  of  Hesper  on  the  morn, 
In  nature's  fairest  forms,  is  aught  so  fair 
As  virtuous  friendship  ?  as  the  candid  blush 
Of  him  who  strives  with  fortune  to  be  just? 
The  graceful  tear  that  streams  for  others'  woes  ? 
Or  the  mild  majesty  of  private  life, 
Where  peace  with  ever-blooming  olives  crowns 
The  gate ; 

******** 

Look  then  abroad  through  nature,  to  the  range 
Of  planets,  suns,  and  adamantine  spheres, 
Wheeling  unshaken  through  the  void  immense, 
And  speak,  O  man !  does  this  capacious  scene. 
With  half  that  kindling  majesty,  dilate 
Thy  strong  conception,  as  when  Brutus  rose, 
Eefulgent  from  the  stroke  of  Caesar's  fate, 
Amid  the  crowd  of  patriots ;  and  his  arm 
Aloft  extended,  like  eternal  Jove. 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.  127 

When  guilt  brings  dowa,  the  thunder  called  aloud 
On  Tally's  name,  and  shook  his  crimson  steel, 
And  bade  the  father  of  his  country,  hail ! 
For  lo,  the  tyrant  i^rostrate  in  the  dust, 
And  Rome  again  is  free." 

Magnanimity,  heroism,  self-sacrifice,  put  forth  for 
any  cause,  whether  on  behalf  of  virtuous  friendship 
or  the  honor  of  one's  country,  invest  a  character 
with  a  certain  aspect  of  moral  greatness,  which 
must  challenge  the  esteem  even  of  an  enemy.  How 
strongly,  then,  must  we  feel  this  to  be  the  case, 
while  looking  upon  the  condition  of  men  in  a  be- 
nighted age,  when  Superstition  had  enthroned  her- 
self on  the  ruins  of  all  that  was  just  in  social  order, 
ennobling  in  freedom,  and  rational  in  religion ; 
when,  throughout  her  wide  realm,  which  she  desig- 
nated Christendom,  no  one  durst  utter  aloud  those 
words  which  are  said  to  be  "  spirit  and  life,"  except 
at  the  peril  of  martyrdom  ;  when  he,  who  was  called 
the  vicar  of  Christ,  had  so  united  the  church  and 
the  world  in  a  base  idolatry  that  it  seemed  as  if  the 
tempter's  wish  had  been  realized,  long  after  it  had 
been  uttered  on  the  mount  of  vision,  where,  pointing 
to  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth,  he  said  to  Jesus,  "  All 
these  will  I  give  thee,  if  thou  wilt  fall  down  and 
worship  me  ;" — while  at  such  a  time,  we  see  a  single 
mind,  catching  at  first  some  faint  gleams  of  light 
from  the  oracles  of  God,  becoming  gradually  more 
illuminated,  then  fired  with  a  holy  zeal  for  the  cause 
of  God  and  truth  and  man,  at  fearful  odds,  waging 
Ava/  with  principalities  and  ^powers,  and  spiritual 
wickedness  in  high  places,  till  at  last,  though  beaten 


128  Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

down  and  prostrate,  it  sees  the  triumph  from  afar, 
and  hails  the  coming  victory,  we  cannot  but  be 
struck  with  the  sublimity  of  goodness,  and  stand  in 
awe  of  what  is  great  and  majestic  in  human  charac- 
ter. Such  is  the  order  of  sentiments  with  which 
we  look  back  upon  the  career  of  John  de  Wycliffe, 
the  herald  of  the  Reformation,  the  star  which  aiose 
upon  the  brow  of  a  long  and  gloomy  night,  the  har- 
binger of  approaching  day. 

In  asking  the  reader's  attention,  at  this  time,  to 
the  character  and  influence  of  Wycliffe,  it  is  not 
merely  with  a  wish  to  do  justice  to  one  to  whom  we 
are  all  much  indebted,  but  chiefly  to  awaken  an 
interest  in  the  principles  and  conduct  of  a  man, 
whose  life  is  a  volume  of  instruction.  In  itself  con- 
sidered, his  character  has  much  of  intrinsic  dignity, 
formed  as  it  was  of  piety,  learning,  philanthropy, 
enthusiasm,  sobriety,  which  all  rendered  beautiful 
that  martyr-spirit  that  appeared  in  him,  calm,  firm, 
self-possessed,  feeling  ever  "  tlie  rocky  grounds  of 
his  strength,"  meek,  humble,  bold,  resolute,  immova- 
ble, daring,  and  able  to  stand  against  the  world. 
But  in  its  relations,  his  character  possesses  a  high 
moral  interest,  for  to  him  belongs  the  glory  of 
having  struck  the  first  notes  which  touched  the 
heart  of  Christendom  and  aroused  that  reforming 
spirit,  which  became  "  a  spirit  of  judgment  and  a 
spirit  of  burning,"  which  spread  electrically  through 
Europe,  breaking  up  the  thraldom  of  ages,  and, 
extending  its  alarms  to  the  Vatican,  caused  even 
there  the  faltering  inquiry  to  be  made,  "  when  shall 
the  desolation  cease  ?" .  The  Waldenses  had,  indeed, 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.  129 

amidst  their  mountain  fastnesses,  remained  faithful 
to  the  truth  ;  but  they  could  only  hope  for  security 
for  themselves,  nor  could  they  effect  any  aggressive 
movement  against  the  reigning,  corruptions!     Wy- 
cliffe  stood  quite  alone  in  his  "own  times,  deriving 
no  light  or  strength  from  the  dissenting  Christians 
of  the  continent ;  and  though  there,  the  name  of 
Luther  is  inscribed  on  the  foremost  banner  of  the 
Reformation,  yet  it  has  happened  (as  Fiddes  ob- 
serves in  his  Life  of  Cardinal  Wolsey)  that  Wyoliffe 
was  like  a  physician,  who  applied  the  first  successful 
remedies  against  an  inveterate  disease,  and  Luther 
was  like  one  who  came  in  at  last  to  carry  forward 
what  had  been  begun,  to  its  consummation,  and  so 
bore  away  the  palm  and  glory. 

The  village  of  Wycliffe,  in  the  north  part  of  York- 
shire, seems  on  the  most  probable  evidence,  which  is 
sustained  by  the  authority  of  Leland,  to  have  the 
honor  of  being  the  birth-place  of  the  Reformer.     In 
our  times,  the  appellation  of  Wycliffe  is  used  as  a 
surname  ;  but  in  his  day,  it  designated  a  locality 
and,  according  to  the  old  Saxon  usage,  he  was  usu- 
ally called  John  of  Wycliffe.     The  date  of  his  birth 
IS  generally  referred  to  the  year  1324  ;  and  we  know 
nothing  of  his  youth,  except  that  his  name  was  en- 
rolled as  a  student  at  Oxford  in   1340.     Queen's 
College,  of  which  he  became  a  member,  was  founded 
that  year,  for  the  students  of  the  northern  counties  • 
but  he  was  soon  transferred  to  Merton,  the  most 
emment  of  all,  where  the  chair  of  divinity  was  filled 
by  Thomas  Bradwardine,  afterwards  archbishop  of 
Canterbury,  a  man  of  extensive  learning,  and  very 


130  Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

celebrated  for  his  writings  against  the  Pelagians,  in 
view  of  which  Dr.  Gill  speaks  in  his  praise,  and 
calls  him  a  second  Austin.  Possessed  of  extraordi- 
nary talents,  and  a  liberality  of  mind  far  beyond  his 
as^e,  he  was  well  fitted  to  be  the  instructer  of  such  a 
youth  as  Wycliffe,  and  though  he  made  no  formal 
opposition  to  Popery,  he  did  much  to  foster  an  inde- 
pendent spirit  of  inquiry. 

Around  the  walls  of  Merton,  the  spirit  of  Duns 
Scotus  still  lingered.  His  fame  had  filled  Europe, 
and  to  be  enlightened  by  his  wisdom,  tliirty  thousand 
students  gathered  around  his  chair.  He  was  entitled 
the  subtle  doctor  ;  of  scholastic  learning  he  had  ex- 
haustles^  stores,  of  which  we  may  mention  as  a  proof, 
that  when  the  University  of  Paris  was  agitated  with 
the  question,  whether  the  Virgin  Mary  was  born  in 
original  sin,  Scotus  settled  it  by  producing  two  hun- 
dred arguments  in  the  negative.  The  devotion  of 
his  students  to  him  must  have  been  very  great,  for 
Brucker  affirms  that  they  used  to  say,  "  Had  the 
genius  of  Aristotle  been  unknown,  that  of  Scotus 
could  have  supplied  its  place."  This  was  the  highest 
possible  eulogium  ;  for  the  scholars  of  that  age  were 
distinguished  by  their  passion  for  logic  and  meta- 
physics, and  the  study  of  Aristotle  comprised  all 
that  they  thought  worthy  of  the  name  of  learning. 
The  living  philosopher  could  not  have  received 
more  homage  from  his  disciples  at  Athens,  than  his 
name  drew  forth  from  the  students  of  Oxford  in  the 
fourteenth  century.  In  their  view,  a  man  might 
pretend  to  study  the  Scriptui^es,  and  become  a  bibli- 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.  131 


cist  ;  but  unless  lie  understood  Aristotle,  he  could 
never  understand  the  Bible. 

At  that  time,  the  sciences  were  divided  into  two 
classes,  called  the  trivium  and  quadrivium,  the  first 
embracing-  grammar,  rhetoric  and  logic  ;  the  second 
music,  arithmetic,  geometry  and  astronomy.     With 
the  exception  of  music,  the  studies  of  the  first  divi- 
sion  were   most   diligently   pursued  ;  within    their 
sphere,  the  power  of  the  human  intellect  seemed  to 
be  concentrated  ;  and  though  we  may  regard  their 
subtle  exercises  of  the  dialectic  art  as  profitless,  yet 
it  must  be  conceded,  that  the  world  has  never  beheld 
instances  of  sharper  wit,  or  of  logical  powers  more 
finely  trained.     Long  and  fruitless  their   wars   of 
words  may  seem  to  us  in  retrospect,  but  woe  to  the 
man  who  should  have  ventured  to  engage  in  them, 
if  deficient  in  memory,  or  invention,  or  the  industry 
which  was  requisite  to  master  the  technicalties  of 
their  favorite  science.     Instant  defeat  would  have 
followed  the  want  of  knowledge,  strength  or  skill, 
and  however   wise  or  strong  a  man  might  be,  he 
could  avail  but  little  with  the  leading  men  of  those 
times,  unless   he   could   hold   his  ground  with  the 
scholastic  doctors  in  the  use  of  their  own  weapons. 
The  riper  youth  of  Wycliffe  was,  therefore,  most 
profitably  spent  in  close  investigation  of  the  Aris- 
totelian philosophy,  and  acquiring  those  implements 
of  logical  warfare,  which  he  was  destined  to  wield 
with  such  signal  success  in  the  cause  of  truth  and 
hunianity.     According  to  the  testimony  of  his  oppo- 
nents, he  was  unrivalled  in  debate,   the  proudest 
wranglers  stood  in  awe  of  him  ;  in  their  intellectual 


132  Christianity  and  Traditiomism. 


tournaments  he  was  sure  to  come  off  victorious,  so 
that  Knighton,  a  contemporary  and  bitter  foe,  writes 
of  him,  "  in  philosophia  nulli  reputabatur  secundus  ; 
in  scholasticis  disciplinis  incomparabilis." 

But  whilst  we  admire  the  talent  of  Wycliffe,  dis- 
played in  his  rich  learning  and  in  those  mental  feats 
which  were  the  wonder  of  his  time,  we  observe,  witli 
the  greatest  pleasure,  his  early  devotion  to  biblical 
studies.  This  constituted  the  peculiarity  of  his 
character,  and  here  lay  the  secret  of  his  strength. 
Firm  in  his  belief,  that  the  Scriptures  were  given 
by  inspiration  of  God,  and  that  each  man  is  account- 
able for  the  manner  in  which  he  treats  them,  he  was 
soon  prepared  to  broach  the  first  element  of  Protes- 
tantism, which  is,  their  sufficiency.  Seeing  that  they 
are  adapted  to  all  the  race,  both  "  low  and  high, 
rich  and  poor  together,"  it  was  natural  that  he 
should  reach  the  second  fundamental  principle,  which 
is  the  right  of  private  judgment.  In  the  assertion  of 
these  two  principles.  Protestantism  essentially  con- 
sists.* Firmly  holding  these,  he  was  furnished  with 
a  standard  by  which  to  try  the  church  herself,  the 
institutions  of  his  time,  the  pretensions  of  the  pope, 
the  decrees  of  councils,  the  canon  law,  and  the  popu- 
lar doctrines.  Thus  he  learned  to  "  try  the  spirits" 
whether  they  were  of  God.  Hence,  sprang  those 
clear  conceptions  of  the  enormity  of  prevailing  evils, 
the  mental  independence,  which  enabled  him  to  rise 
superior  to  all  human  authority,  to  divest  every  sub- 
ject of  the  factitious  glare  or  obscurity  which  the 

*  Note  A.     Right  of  Private  Judgnieut. 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.  133 


priesthood  had  tlirowu  around  it, — the  moral  cou- 
rage which  enabled  him  to  brook  a  nation's  preju- 
dice, and  to  confront  a  graceless  hierarchy,  who  sat 
on  the  throne  of  church  dominion,  clothed  with 
unearthly  terrors.  0,  there  is  that  in  the  earnest 
study  of  the  Bible  which  humbles,  yet  exalts,  which 
leads  the  soul  to  feel  itself  in  the  presence  of  God, 
and  dilates  it  with  a  sense  of  his  glorious  majesty. 
Then  his  word  worketh  effectually,  his  voice  is  om- 
nipotent. To  such  a  mind  there  can  be  no  terror  ; 
life,  death,  tribulation,  peril,  sword,  principalities, 
powers,  sink  to  nothing  before  it. 

If  Wycliffe  possessed  extraordinary  force  of  cha- 
racter, here  is  to  be  found  its  explanation.  But  for 
his  devotion  to  the  Scriptures,  he  would  have  been 
as  another  man.  Guided  by  those  rival  authorities 
of  the  Bible,  the  canon  law,  which  was  a  digest  of 
ecclesiastical  decisions,  or  the  decrees  of  the  pope, 
he  would  have  had  no  light  or  strength  or  motive 
to  resist  the  reigning  corruptions,  or  else  would 
have  struck  only  at  the  branches,  and  not  at  the 
root  of  the  evils  Avhich  desolated  Christendom.* 
With  a  lofty  piety,  which  was  nurtured  by  commu- 
nion with  inspired  minds,  w^ith  genius  and  talents 
and  knowledge,  all  quickened  by  a  study  of  the 
divine  word,  his  life  was  a  memorial  of  the  power 
of  that  word  to  form  the  character,  and  of  the  power 
of  a  character  so  formed,  to  affect  the  destinies  of 
the  human  race. 

^A  more  ample  survey  Of  his  career  than  it  is  pos- 


*  Note  B.     Gibbon's  Great  Mistake. 


134  Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

sible  for  us  to  take  at  this  time,  would  furnish 
instructive  proofs  of  this.  Let  us,  however,  mark 
its  influence  in  the  case  which  first  brought  him 
into  open  collision  with  the  spirit  of  his  own  age. 
This  was  an  attack  on  the  order  of  mendicant 
monks,  which  he  commenced  at  Oxford,  in  1360. 
In  his  day,  the  monastic  system  was  thriving  in 
full  vigor,  and  perhaps  it  is  difficult  for  us  to  con- 
ceive adequately  of  the  extent  of  its  influence.  By 
its  aspect  of  sanctity  and  self-denial,  it  was  artfully 
addressed  to  that  religious  sentiment  which  exists  in 
man  universally,  and  which,  while  in  Europe  it  had 
taken  on  the  form  of  Christianity,  had  become  re- 
volted and  shocked  at  the  vices  of  the  clergy. 
When  avarice,  arrogance  and  ambition  reigned  in 
the  cathedral,  many  were  struck  with  veneration  on 
beholding  an  order  of  men  seeking  seclusion,  extoll- 
ing a  meditative  life,  and  turning  their  backs  on  all 
the  attractions  of  wealth,  and  all  the  "  pride  of 
place.''  Such  a  device  took  well  with  the  Romish 
church,  which  has  always  sought  to  extend  her  sway 
by  appealing  to  every  feeling  in  the  bosom  of  man, 
and  to  address  the  moral  sentiment  by  the  ostenta- 
tion of  virtue.  But  "  truth  will  out,"  nature  will 
develop  itself,  and  human  depravity  scorns  to  be 
bound  by  ecclesiastical  canons.  When  veneration 
for  the  monks  had  made  them  rich  in  endowments, 
their  profligacy  became  manifest  unto  all,  their  credit 
sunk,  and  the  church  lost  much  of  her  honor  of  sanc- 
tity. In  the  century  preceding  the  time  of  Wycliffe, 
Grossteste,  bishop  of  Lincoln,  described  the  xlnglo- 
Norman  monks,  as  "  belonging  to  the  dead  rathe- 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.  135 

than  the  living,  as  the  tenants  of  a  sepulchre,  appear- 
ing in  the  habiliments  of  the  grave,  and  as  deriving 
all  their  vitality  from  an  infernal  inspiration."  In 
such  a  case,  the  device  of  a  new  order  of  monks 
seemed  exactly  adapted  to  meet  the  church's  exigen- 
cy, and  the  appearance  of  a  class  of  men  who  had 
bound  themselves  to  own  no  property,  to  devote 
themselves  to  charitable  works,  to  live  by  alms,  to 
imitate  the  poverty  of  Christ,  and  who  were  known 
by  the  name  of  mendicant  friars,  or  begging  breth- 
ren, attracted  general  attention  and  reverence.  At 
first,  some  of  the  more  enlightened  thought  that,  at 
least,  by  their  itinerant  preaching  they  might  do 
much  good,  and  therefore  favored  them.  Among 
these  was  Grossteste,  but  he  afterwards  became  their 
decided  foe.  Their  mock  poverty  excited  disgust ; 
vaunting  themselves  of  the  favor  of  the  pope,  they 
contemned  the  civil  power,  and  were  seen  to  be  mere 
tools  in  the  hands  of  the  pontiff  for  the  exercise  of 
his  dominion.  The  spirit  of  Wycliffe  was  stirred 
within  him,  as  he  saw  their  increasing  influence,  and 
the  fearful  use  they  made  of  it,  and,  not  content  with 
pointing  out  their  gross  abuses,  he  struck  at  the 
foundation  of  their  order.  It  was  a  fortunate  cir- 
cumstance for  him  that  they  were  accustomed  to  ex- 
patiate on  the  poverty  of  Christ  as  the  model  of 
their  imitation,  for  this  led  him  in  his  conflict  with 
them  to  enter  fully  into  the  scriptural  argument,  to 
draw  forth  the  Bible  from  its  obscurity,  to  hold  it 
up  as  the  lamp  of  heaven,  the  standard  of  faith,  and 
rule  of  duty,  while  he  marked  the  contrast  between 
its  teachings  and  the  usages  which  church  authority 


136         Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

had  sanctioned  ;  in  effect  he  thundered  forth  the 
startling  appeal  of  the  prophet,  "  What  is  the  chaff 
to  the  wheat  ?  saith  the  Lord.'^ 

The  result  of  this  controversy  was  most  benign. 
While  it  displayed  Wycliffe's  courage,  in  attacking 
those  of  whom  it  was  said,  that  "  a  lord  would  more 
patiently  bear  a  severe  censuring  of  his  least  offence 
than  mendicants  the  soft  and  mild  reproving  of  their 
greatest  sins,"  who  had  long  presided  over  the  In- 
quisition on  the  continent,  and  who  were  called  "  the 
confessors,  the  preachers,  and  the  rulers  commonly 
of  all  men,''  it  at  the  same  time  enabled  him  to  scat- 
ter broad-cast  the  seeds  of  that  scriptural  truth, 
which  alone  could  cause  a  prostrate  church  to  rise 
up  from  her  bondage  of  death,  "  regenerated  and  dis- 
enthralled." 

After  this,  Wycliffe  appears  to  have  advanced  fast 
in  honors.  He  was  made  master  of  Baliol  College, 
and  presented  to  the  living  of  Fillingham  in  the 
diocese  of  Lincoln.  He  was  much  esteemed  by  Is- 
lip,  who  succeeded  Bradwardine  in  the  see  of  Can- 
terbury, and  by  him  was  made  warden  of  Canterbury 
Hall,  which  he  himself  had  founded.  Soon  after, 
Islip  died,  and  was  succeeded  by  Langham,  who  had 
himself  been  a  monk,  and  was  a  great  friend  of  the 
religious  orders.  By  him,  Wycliffe  was  deposed  on 
some  frivolous  pretences.  Strong  in  a  good  con- 
science, he  appealed  to  the  pope  for  justice,  but  in 
vain.  • 

Soon  after  this.  Providence  presented  him  with 

*  Note  C.  Beausobro  on  the  Authority  of  "  Tlie  Fathers." 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.  137 

an  opportunity  of  striking  an  effective  blow  at  the 
power  of  popery  in  England.  How  absolute,  how 
awful  that  power  had  been,  may  be  seen  at  a  glance, 
by  the  oath  of  king  John,  pronounced  while  kneel- 
ing before  the  people,  with  his  hands  held  up  be- 
tween those  of  the  legate  :  "  I,  John,  by  the  grace  of 
God,  king  of  England,  and  lord  of  Ireland,  in  order 
to  expiate  my  sins,  from  my  own  free  will  and  the 
advice  of  my  barons,  give  to  the  church  of  Rome,  to 
pope  Innocent  and  his  successors,  the  kingdom  of 
England,  and  all  other  prerogatives  of  my  crown. 
I  will  hereafter  hold  them  as  the  pope's  vassal.  I 
will  be  faithful  to  God,  to  the  church  of  Rome,  to 
the  Pope  my  master,  and  his  successors  legitimately 
elected.  I  promise  to  pay  him  a  tribute  of  a  thou- 
sand marks  yearly,  to  wit,  seven  hundred  for  the 
kingdom  of  England,  and  three  hundred  for  Ire- 
land." The  people  of  England  were  ashamed  of 
John  for  taking  such  an  oath,  but  their  own  blind 
superstition  was  the  occasion  of  it  ;  for  when  the 
pope  laid  the  nation  under  an  interdict,  the  king 
was  as  effectually  cut  off  from  the  charities  of  so- 
ciety, as  was  the  Jewish  leper,  who  was  forced  to. 
exclaim,  "  Unclean,  unclean."  After  Innocent,  the 
popes  did  not  uniformly  exact  the  promised  tribute  ; 
but  at  the  time  of  which  we  speak,  Urban  V.  de- 
manded of  Edward  III.  the  feudal  liomage,  the  trib- 
ute, and  thirty -five  years'  arrearage,  admonishing  him 
that  in  default  of  payment,  he  would  be  cited  in  due 
form  to  appear  in  person  at  the  court  of  the  sovereign 
pontiff.  This  demand  roused  the  better  part  of  the 
nation  to  resistance.     The  king  refused  to  comply, 


138  Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

snstained|by  tlie  advice  of  Parliament,  which  had 
"been  for  years  increasing  in  power  and  dignity. 
Nevertheless,  the  monks  were  exasperated  at  Avhat 
they  considered  an  insult  cast  on  the  head  of  the 
church,  and  vindicated  the  pontiff's  claim.  Wycliffe 
could  now  indeed  enter  the  lists  boldly,  for  favored 
by  the  collision  between  the  king  and  the  pope,  he 
had  been  made  royal  cliaplain,  and  in  his  published 
reply,  he  appears  as  the  first  .man  in  England,  since 
the  days  of  .lugustine  the  first  propagator  of  those 
corruptions  there,  who  ventured  openly  to  maintain 
the  sufficiency  of  the  Scriptures,  the  inferiority  of 
the  canon  law,  the  peccability  of  the  pope,  and  his 
liability  to  the  guilt  of  mortal  transgression.  Honor 
be  to  the  memory  of  the  man  who  stood  forth  in  a 
dark  and  trying  day,  to  promulgate  in  our  father- 
land those  principles  which  were  destined  there  and 
here  to  gain  so  complete  a  victory. 

At  the  period  of  which  we  speak,  Wycliffe  was  in 
the  fortieth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  honored  with 
the  aid  and  friendship  of  John  of  Gaunt,  Duke  of 
Lancaster,  the  most  powerful  noble  of  the  realm.  A 
coincidence  of  design  brought  them  together,  for 
while  the  Duke,  as  a  politician  and  statesman,  was 
disturbed  at  seeing  bishops  and  priests  intruding 
themselves  into  secular  offices,  Wycliffe,  in  the  true 
spirit  of  a  Christian  minister,  was  inveighing  against 
the  worldliness  of  the  clergy.  In  one  of  his  essays 
he  writes,  that  "  prelates  and  great  religious  posses- 
sioners,  are  so  occupied  in  heart  about  worldly  lord- 
ships and  with  pleas  of  business,  that  no  halaits  of 
devotion,  of  praying,  of  though tfulness  on  heavenly 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.  139 


things,  on  tlie  sins  of  their  own  hearts,  or  on  those 
of  other  men,  may  be  preserved  ;  neither  may  they 
be  fonnd  studying  and  preaching  of  the  gospel,  nor 
visiting  and  comforting  of  poor  men.''  An  effort 
being  made  at  this  period,  by  the  Parliament,  to 
check  clerical  ambition  by  confining  the  most  im- 
portant offices,  which  had  been  held  by  churchmen, 
to  the  laity,  we  may  easily  conceive  that  the  name 
of  Wycliffe  was  not  in  high  repute  with  the  dignita- 
ries of  his  own  order. 

Nevertheless,  his  opportunities  for  extending  his 
sentiments  were  increasing.  He  received  the  de- 
gree of  doctor  in  divinity,  and  was  elevated  to  the 
.chair  of  theology  at  Oxford.  In  that  age  the  doc- 
torate was  not  distributed  so  freely  as  at  the  present. 
He  who  wore  it  earned  it,  and  it  was  worth  some- 
thing to  him.  It  was  truly  a  literary  honor,  and  the 
candidate  for  it  passed  a  rigid  probation.  Sur- 
rounded with  his  pupils,  as  doctor  in  theology,  Wj- 
cliffe  communicated  those  principles  which  took  root 
in  the  genial  enthusiasm  of  many  a  youthful  heart, 
and  produced  in  succeeding  years  a  rich  harvest  to 
the  glory  of  God  and  the  progress  of  humanity. 

In  point  of  honor,  however,  a  still  higher  office 
awaited  him,  and  one  which  opened  to  him  a  fine 
field  for  observing  the  intrigues  of  courts  and  the 
character  of  the  papacy.  At  this  period,  the  papal 
court  was  held  at  Avignon,  and  while  the  pontiff  as- 
sumed the  right  of  filling  all  ecclesiastical  vacancies, 
there  seemed  to  be  abundant  proof  that  his  partiali- 
ties were  for  Frenchmen  rather  than  Englishmen. 
This  led  the  court  and  parliament  of  England  to 


140         Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

cherish  a  bitter  jealousy  of  the  court  of  Avignon, 
for  the  proud  rivalry  between  France  and  England, 
never  glowed  more  warmly  than  now.  This,  of 
course,  was  favorable  to  Wycliffe  in  his  war  against 
popery,  and  tended  to  protect  him  against  the  prel- 
ates at  home.  Edward  and  the  Parliament  denied 
the  pontiff's  right  of  election,  and  thence  arose  the 
need  of  a  mutual  embassy  to  settle  the  disputed 
points.  Wycliffe  was  appointed  one  of  the  ambas- 
sadors on  the  part  of  England,  and  thence  was  called 
to  reside  three  years  at  Bruges,  where  the  negotia- 
tion was  conducted.  Here  he  had  opportunity  to 
become  acquainted  with  some  of  the  chief  actors  in 
the  political  scenes  of  Europe,  and  returned  better 
qualified  to  prosecute  the  great  work  of  his  heart 
and  life.  Possessing  a  knowledge  of  men  as  well  as 
of  books,  he  had  successfully  discharged  the  trust 
committed  to  him,  and,  as  a  proof  that  he  had  arisen 
in  the  estimation  of  his  sovereign,  the  royal  patron- 
age was  exercised  in  his  behalf  by  appointing  him 
to  the  Prebend  of  Aust  in  the  collegiate  church  of 
Westbury,  Worcester,  and  to  the  rectory  of  Lutter- 
worth. 

But  no  negotiation  seemed  to  bind  the  pontiff. 
He  found  means  to  evade  every  restriction,  and  the 
taxes  which  he  derived  from  ecclesiastical  benefices 
amounted  to  five  times  more  than  the  king  received 
from  the  whole  produce  of  the  realm.  The  struggle 
continued  till  the  death  of  Edward,  and  it  is  remark- 
able that  the  first  Parliament  under  Richard  II.  re- 
ferred to  the  judgment  of  Wycliffe  what  seemed  to 
them  the  doubtful  question,  whether  it  would  not  be 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.         141 


lawful  in  the  kingdom,  for  the  sake  of  self-defence, 
to  detain  its  treasures,  "  that  it  might  not  be  con- 
veyed to  foreign  nations,  though  the  pope  himself 
should  demand  the  same  by  virtue  of  obedience  said 
to  be  due  to  him,  and  under  pain  of  his  censures.'*' 
Such  a  reference  of  the  question  was  a  proof  of  the 
confidence  reposed  in  the  judgment  of  Wycliffe,  who 
in  a  most  lucid  manner  maintained  the  affirmative, 
showing,  that  neither  from  the  law  of  reason,  nor 
that  of  Christianity,  which  is  the  law  of  laws,  had 
the  pope  the  least  claim  to  such  lordly  dominion. 

Su-ch  an  expression  of  respect  must  have  been 
grateful  to  Wyclifife,  now  that  the  storm  of  persecu- 
tion was  beginning  to  beat  upon  him.  The  prelates 
and  monks  had  been  long  watching  for  an  opportu- 
nity to  arrest  the  course  of  one  whom  they  were 
now  denouncing  as  a  mischievous  heretic.  When, 
therefore,  Courtney,  a  man  of  high  rank,  of  daring 
spirit,  and  intolerant  bigotry,  became  Bishop  of 
London,  Wycliife  was  summoned  to  St.  Paul's  to 
answer,  before  his  ecclesiastical  superiors,  to  the 
charge  of  heresy.  The  place  was  much  crowded,  so 
that  Wycliff'e,  attended  as  he  was  by  his  friends,  the 
Duke  of  Lancaster  and  Lord  Percy,  the  Earl  Mar- 
shal, could  scarcely  get  access  to  his  seat.  Courtney 
was  much  irritated  at  the  appearance  of  the  crowd 
and  the  attendance  of  the  noblemen,  and  intimated 
a  wish  that  he  had  taken  means  to  prevent  their 
admission  to  the  court.  The  Duke  resented  this  as 
an  insult  and  replied  that  the  authority  of  the 
Bishop  of  London  might  not  be  sufficient  to  control 
his   conduct.     Lord   Percy   asked    NYycliff'e   to   be 


142  Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

i^eiited,  as  he  might  have  much  to  answer.  This, 
Courtney  opposed.  High  words  followed,  the  meet- 
ing 1^'oke  up  in  a  tumult,  and  Wycliffe  departed, 
the  most  calm  spectator  of  the  stormy  scene. 

The  prosecution  was  then  suspended,  but  ere-long, 
England  resounded  with  the  roar  of  the  pontiff's 
bulls.  They  were  addressed  to  the  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury,  Bishop  of  London,  the  King,  and  the 
University  of  Oxford,  denouncing  Wycliffe  as  a 
heretic,  a  preacher  of  doctrines  subversive  of  the 
church,  and  requiring  him  to  be  delivered  up  for 
trial.  The  result  was  a  council  at  Lambeth,  before 
which  the  Reformer  was  cited.  But  how  wonderful 
must  have  been  the  impression  of  his  doctrine  on  the 
people  and  the  court !  What  dismay  filled  the 
synod,  when  the  crowd  pressed  their  way  into  the 
chapel,  proclaiming  their  attachment  to  the  person 
and  opinions  of  the  Reformer  !  In  the  midst  of  this 
excitement,  Sir  Lewis  Clifford  entered  with  a  mes- 
sage from  the  queen  mother,  forbidding  the  bishops 
to  sit  in  judgment  on  the  doctrines  of  Wycliffe. 
The  assembly  was  broken  up,  and  thus  again  was 
the  Reformer  delivered  from  the  mouth  of  the  lion. 
The  council  became,  according  to  the  courtly  Wal- 
singham,  "  shaken  as  a  reed  with  the  wind,  soft  as 
oil  in  their  speech,  to  the  open  forfeiture  of  their 
own  dignity  and  the  injury  of  the  whole  church." 

It  might  have  been  reasonably  expected  that 
another  volley  of  papal  indignation  would  have  been 
discharged  upon  England,  but  this  was  prevented 
by  the  death  of  Gregory  XL  in  1378,  and  as  then 
Europe  became  distracted' with  the  contentions  of 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.  143 

the  two  rival  pontiifs,  Urban  VI.  and  Clement  VII., 
Wycliffe  had  occasion  to  write,  "  Trust  we  in  the 
help  of  Christ,  on  this  point,  for  ho  hath  begun  al- 
ready to  keep  us  graciously,  in  that  he  hath  clove 
the  head  of  Antichrist,  and  made  the  two  parts  fight 
against  each  other.  For  it  is  not  doubtful  that  the 
sin  of  the  popes,  which  hath  been  so  long  continued, 
hath  brought  in  this  division."  Again,  he  says, 
"  Simo^  Magus  never  labored  more  in  the  work  of 
' simony  than  do  these  priests  (popes)  ;  and  so  God 
would  no  longer  suffer  the  fiend  to  reign  in  only  one 
such  priest,  but  for  the  sin  which  they  had  done, 
made  division  among  two,  so  that  men  in  Christ's 
name  may  the  more  easily  overcome  them  both." 
Wycliffe  rejoiced  in  that  division,  because  it  tended 
to  diminish  the  reverence  of  the  world  for  the  see 
of  Rome,  and  prompted  honest  ministers  of  Christ 
to  speak  the  truth  more  boldly.  The  necessity  of 
such  an  event,  to  unseal  the  lips  of  many  witnesses, 
may  be  seen  from  the  fact,  that  during  this  doubtful 
contest,  there  was  a  wide-spread  feeling  of  distress 
among  the  people,  lest  they  should  fail  of  salvation 
in  case  they  should  die  without  being  united  to  the 
true  vicar  of  Christ. 

At  this  period,  Wycliffe,  who  was  ever  active, 
abounded  in  labors,  being  engaged  in  writing,  teach- 
ing, preaching,  visiting  the  sick  and  poor  in  connec- 
tion with  his  rectory.  His  health  gave  way  under 
such  exertions,  and  while  at  Oxford,  he  was  attacked 
with  a  sickness  which  threatened  to  be  fatal.  This 
intelligence  was  not  ungrateful  to  the  monks,  and 
they  flattered  themselves  that  as  he  approached  the 


144  Christianity  and  Traditionism. 


eternal  world,  he  might  be  disposed  to  counteract 
the  evil  of  his  life,  by  confessing  the  wrongs  which 
he  had  done  to  them  and  to  the  church.  A  deputa- 
tion of  eight  persons  was  sent  to  visit  him,  consisting 
of  one  doctor  from  each  of  the  four  orders  of  friars, 
and  from  senators  of  the  city.  When  they  entered 
his  chamber,  they  beheld  him  lying  weak  and  help- 
less on  his  bed.  After  some  general  observations 
they  came  to  the  point  in  hand,  remarking,ijthat  he 
was  undoubtedly  conscious  of  having  inflicted  many 
injuries  on  the  mendicant  friars,  and  that  now  as  he 
was  about  to  leave  this  world,  they  hoped  he  would 
not  refuse  to  utter  his  repentance,  and  to  retract 
tJiose  charges,  which,  amid  the  excitements  of  life, 
he  had  laid  against  the  brotherhood.  The  Reformer 
lay  calm  and  silent  till  this  address  was  ended. 
Unable  to  lift  himself  up,  he  waved  his  hand  to  his 
servants  to  aid  him.  Then  fixing  his  eyes  on  the 
deputation,  he  exclaimed,  with  all  the  energy  he 
could  command,  "  I  shall  not  die  but  live,  and  shall 
again  declare  the  evil  deeds  of  the  friars !"  The 
disappointed  monks  retreated,  and  Wycliffe  recov- 
ered, to  do  all  that  his  prediction  implied. 

On  his  restoration  to  health,  the  Reformer  resumed 
his  chair  in  theology,  his  pulpit,  his  pen  and  his 
parochial  visitations.  Though  the  sickness  of  which 
we  have  spoken  impaired  his  constitution  and  laid 
the  foundation  of  that  malady  which  terminated  his 
life,  yet  he  seems  to  have  been  "in  labors  more 
abundant."  In  1381,  he  called  the  attention  of  the 
University  to  his  exposition  of  the  Eucharist.  Re- 
garding the  prevalent  doctrine  of  transubstantiation, 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.  145 


which  was  received  on  the  ground  of  church  autho- 
rity, as  opposed  to  the  evidence  of  the  senses,  of 
reason  and  of  Scripture,  he  did  not  anticipate  much 
progress  of  the  human  mind  until  it  was  delivered 
from  such  a  vassalage.  The  simple  doctrine  of  a 
figurative  representation  of  Christ's  body  in  the 
eucharist  was  the  one  which  he  defended,  and  in  this 
far  surpassed  Luther,  who  invited  the  faith  of  the 
people  to  repose  in  the  ingenious  scheme  of  consub- 
stantiation,  which  represented  Christ's  presence  to 
be  diffused  through  the  elements  like  fire  in  red  hot 
iron.  Wycliffe  exhibited  the  ordinance  in  its  native 
majesty,  as  a  divinely  appointed  emblem.  The 
priesthood  were  shocked.  The  chancellor  of  the 
University  called  a  convention,  the  majority  of 
whom  were  monks,  who  succeeded  in  suspending  the 
teachings  of  the  doctor  in  theology.  Surrounded  by 
his  disciples,  Wycliffe  was  lecturing  on  the  obnox- 
ious topic,  when  the  officers  entered  to  announce  his 
exclusion  from  his  chair.  He  arose  in  calm  dignity 
and  announced  his  intention  of  appealing  to  the  civil 
power. 

Political  aflairs,  however,  took  such  a  turn  that 
no  civil  interference  was  exercised  in  behalf  of  Wy- 
cliffe. The  court,  under  Richard,  were  disposed  to 
propitiate  the  clergy  on  account  of  their  enormous 
wealth,  and  this  became  a  favorable  moment  for 
the  enemies  of  Wycliffe  to  prosecute  their  design. 
Under  the  auspices  of  Courtney,  a  synod  was  called 
to  check  the  spreading  heresy,  and  then  a  convoca- 
tion at  Oxford,  before  which  the  Reformer  appeared 
in  his  own  defence.    His  judges,  though  neither  con- 


146         Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

vincecl  nor  satisfied,  yet  durst  not  proceed  to  vio- 
lence, well  knowing  how  firm  a  hold  he  had  upon 
the  affections  of  the  people.  They  dissolved  his 
connection  with  Oxford,  but  they  could  not  extirpate 
his  principles.  He  retired  to  Lutterworth  to  diffuse 
his  doctrines  by  preaching  and  writing. 

It  might  be  naturally  inferred  from  Wycliffe's 
popularity  that  he  was  gifted  with  the  power  of 
holding  intercourse  with  the  multitude  by  preaching. 
It  is  true  that  he  delighted  in  the  exercise,  revered  it 
as  the  appointment  of  Christ,  and  was  offended  with 
the  indignity  with  which  the  church  of  Rome  had 
treated  it.  She  supplied  the  people  with  ceremonies, 
but  withheld  the  bread  of  life.  So  low  had  this  or- 
dinance sunk  in  the  century  preceding  Wycliffe,  that 
Archbishop  Peckham  complained  to  the  clergy  that 
the  people  were  as  the  "  poor  who  seek  water  and 
there  is  none,  and  their  tongue  faileth  for  thirst ;" 
and  the  improvement  which  the  metropolitan  sug- 
gested was,  that  a  summary  of  subjects  be  given  to 
each  priest,  and  that  he  be  required  to  deliver  four 
sermons  during  the  year  in  his  own  parish  !  But 
"Wycliffe  had  impressive  views  of  the  dignity  of  the 
work.  In  vindicating  it,  he  exclaims,  "  Christ,  when 
he  ascended  to  heaven,  commanded  it  especially  to 
all  his  apostles,  to  preach  the  gospel  freely  to  every 
man.  So,  also,  when  Christ  spoke  last  with  Peter, 
he  bade  them  thrice,  as  he  Ipved  him,  to  feed  his 
sheep  ;  and  this  would  not  a  wise  shepherd  have 
done  had  he  not  himself  loved  it  well.  In  this 
stands  the  office  of  the  spiritual  shepherd.  As  the 
bishop  of  the  temple  hindered  Christ,  so  is  he  hind- 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.  147 

ered  by  the  hindering  of  this  deed.  Therefore 
Christ  told  them  that  at  the  day  of  doom,  Sodom 
and  Gomorrah  should  better  fare  than  they.  And 
thus  if  our  bishops  preach  not  in  their  own  persons 
and  hinder  true  priests  from  preaching,  they  are  in 
the  sin  of  the  bishops  who  killed  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  To  a  reflecting  observer,  what- an  interest- 
ing object  must  it  have  been,  to  behold  this  man, 
who  was  skilled  in  all  the  subtleties  of  learning,  a 
match  for  the  ablest  dialecticians  of  the  times,  able 
to  lead  the  way  in  translating  the  Scriptures  into 
his  native  tongue,  qualified  to  solve  the  knotty  ques- 
tions of  Parliament,  and  to  treat  on  behalf  of  his 
country  with  the  ambassadors  of  foreign  courts, 
standing  up  amidst  a  rude  and  untaught  peasantry, 
who  hung  upon  his  lips  to  receive  the  words  which 
make  men  wise  unto  salvation.  The  ease  and  ener- 
gy with  which  he  filled  so  wide  a  sphere,  prov6  that 
he  deserves  to  be  ranked  with  minds  of  the  highest 
order  that  any  age  or  country  has  produced. 

His  method  of  preaching  (to  use  the  term  of  the 
times)  was  ^^  postulating,^^  in  distinction  from  "  declar- 
ing." The  latter  mode  consisted  in  announcing  a 
subject  and  proceeding  to  deliver  an  essay  upon  it. 
The  former  was  expository,  consisting  of  remarks 
upon  an  extended  passage  of  Scripture,  designed  to 
prepare  the  way  for  an  application  suited  to  the  im- 
mediate wants  of  the  auditory. 

The^  great  work,  however,  which  employed  the 
tho>ights  and  filled  the  heart  of  Wycliffe,  in  the  lat- 
ter period  of  his  life,  was  the  translation  of  the 
Scriptures  into  the  English  language.     He  was  the 


148  Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

first  man  who  gave  an  English  Bible  to  the  world. 
Before  his  time  only  fragments  existed.  The  first 
attempt  was  made  in  the  seventh  century,  by  Ced- 
mau,  an  Anglo-Saxon  monk,  who  presented  to  his 
countrymen  a  poem  narrating  the  leading  events  of 
the  Old  Testament  history.  Then  followed  in  the 
eighth  centur}^  the  Anglo-Saxon  version  of  the 
Psalms,  by  Aldhelm  and  Guthlac,  and  a  translation 
of  John's  gospel,  by  the  Venerable  Bede.  The  Dur- 
ham book,  a  manuscript  copy  of  the  Gospels  in  Lat- 
in, with  a  Saxon  version  interlined,  belongs  to  the 
age  of  Alfred.  Several  other  manuscript  versions 
of  parts  of  the  Scriptures  existed  in  the  ninth  and 
tenth  centuries,  but  no  attempt  was  made  to  give  to 
the  people  the  Bible  in  their  own  language,  so  that 
the  enterprise  of  Wycliffe  was  quite  a  novelty  in 
that  day.  Surely,  if  by  his  life  he  had  accomplished 
no  other  object,  he  had  lived  for  a  noble  purpose. 

This  great  work  accomplished,  he  could  say  with 
joy,  "  Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in 
peace."  Though  he  bewailed  the  reigning  evils,  yet 
he  had  a  serene  faith  in  the  triumph  of  truth.  Truth, 
he  said,  must  prevail ;  "  for  to  overcome  truth,  would 
be  to  overcome  God."  Thus  he  waited  his  time. 
He  died  at  his  rectory,  on  the  last  day  of  December, 
1384.  Having  been  struck  with  a  paralysis,  while 
performing  divine  service,  he  was  immediately  de- 
prived of  consciousness,  until  a  voice  from  on  high 
said  to  his  spirit,  "  Come  up  hither." 

It  is  a  most  wonderful  circumstance,  that  Wycliffe 
was  permitted  to  die  peacefully  at  home.  Two  con- 
siderations may  account  for  this  ;  first,  the  degree 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.  149 

of  interest  which  was  absorbed  by  the  contentions 
between  the  rival  popes,  and,  second,  the  power 
which  the  Reformer  had  with  the  people,  a  power 
which  had  already  caused  the  failure  of  the  prelates 
in  all  their  efforts  to  destroy  them.  But  what  a 
spirit  of  consuming  vengeance  was  shown  to  have 
been  smothered  in  some  bosoms,  when  it  broke  forth 
at  the  council  of  Constance,  like  the  eruption  of  in- 
fernal flame.  That  council,  called  to  establish  the 
interests  of  religion,  by  a  pope  who  had  been  a 
pirate  in  his  youth,  and  continued  to  be  one  of  the 
most  reckless  profligates  of  the  age,  at  his  bidding- 
designated  Wycliffe's  doctrine  as  "  the  abomination 
of  desolation  standing  in  the  holy  place  f  and  while 
they  proved  their  hatred  of  heresy,  in  the  burning 
of  John  Huss,  and  Jerome  of  Prague,  they  establish- 
ed for  Wycliffe,  beyond  all  dispute,  the  honor  of  be- 
ing the  Fathe7'  of  the  Reformation,  the  spring  of  those 
renovating  influences  which,  as  they  spread,  mocked 
all  resistance,  when  they  commanded  that  in  case 
his  bones  could  be  distinguished  from  those  of  the 
faithful,  they  should  be  taken  from  the  place  of  their 
thirty  years'  repose,  and  "  cast  out  to  be  trodden, 
under  foot  of  men."  They  were  reduced  to  ashes, 
and  then  thrown  into  the  river  which  runs  through 
Lutterworth.  It  was  a  happy  thought  of  one,  wha 
said  that  "  this  furnished  an  emblem  of  the  spread 
of  his  doctrine  ;  for  as  those  ashes  were  carried  into 
the  Severn,  the  narrow  seas,  the  ocean,  so  did  his 
doctrine  flow  from  the  province  to  the  nation,  and 
from  the  nation  to  the  many  kingdoms  of  the  world." 
In  reviewing  the  history  of  Wycliffe,  and  survey- 


150  Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

ing  tlie  vast  sphere  which  he  filled,  as  a  lecturer  in 
theology,  a  royal  chaplain,  a  popular  preacher,  a 
faithful  pastor,  a  powerful  writer,  the  translator  of 
the  Bible,  as  the  expounder  and  defender  of  Chris- 
tian faith  and  freedom,  the  chief  value  of  his  exam- 
ple will  be  lost  to  us,  unless  we  feel  the  vivid  illus- 
tration which  his  life  presents  of  the  truth  which  the 
Psalmist  expressed,  when  he  cried,  "  Thy  word,  0 
God,  giveth  light."  What  object  can  be  more  in- 
teresting to  behold,  than  a  mind  like  his,  so  lofty 
and  enlarged,  so  far  beyond  his  age,  at  a  period 
when  men  were  "groping  in  the  day  time  as  the 
blind,"  when  the  light  in  them  was  as  darkness,  di- 
recting their  views  to  those  very  doctrines  which  now 
shine  out  as  the  brightest  stars  in  the  firmament  of 
revealed  truth.  Insisting  strongly  on  the  suffi- 
ciency OF  the  Scriptures,  and  the  right  of  private 
judgment,  he  brought  to  light  those  elements  of 
power,  which  had  their  developments  in  the  great 
reformation  under  Luther,  and  inculcating  as  he  did, 
the  great  article  of  justification,  by  faith  in  Christ 
alone,  the  necessity  of  regeneration  by  the  Spirit, 
the  atonement  of  Christ  ofi'ered  on  Calvary  once  for 
all,  and  the  spirituality  of  the  church,  his  preaching- 
glowed  with  those  truths  which  touch  the  deepest 
springs  of  feeling  in  the  soul  of  man.  It  is  pleasing 
to  perceive  what  a  strong  illumination  had  fallen  on 
his  mind,  while  turning  toward  the  Scriptures,  as  the 
source  of  instruction  ;  what  clear  conceptions  he  ob- 
tained of  their  authority,  their  sufficiency,  and  the 
true  spirit  of  an  interpreter.  "  I  am  certain,"  says 
he,  "  from  the  Scriptures,  that  neither  Antichrist  nor 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.         151 

all  his  disciples,  nay,  nor  all  fiends,  may  really  im- 
pugn any  part  of  that  volume  as  it  regards  the  ex- 
cellency of  its  doctrines.  But  in  all  these  things,  it 
appears  to  me,  that  the  believing  man  should  use 
this  rule  ;  if  he  soundly  understands  the  sacred  Scrip- 
tures, let  him  bless  God  ;  if  he  be  deficient  in  such 
a  perception,  let  him  labor  for  soundness  of  mind. 
Let  him,  also,  dwell  as  a  grammarian  upon  the  let- 
ter, but  be  fully  aware  of  imposing  a  sense  upon  Scrip- 
ture which  he  doubts  the  Holy  Spirit  does  not  de- 
mand ;  for  such  a  man,  according  to  St.  Jerome,  is 
a  heretic.  And  much  more  he  who  rashly  blas- 
phemes, by  imposing  a  meaning  upon  the  Scriptures 
which  the  Spirit  himself  declares  to  be  impossible. 
If  we  had  a  hundred  popes,  and  all  the  friars  were 
cardinals,  to  the  law  of  the  gospel  we  should  bow, 
more  than  to  all  this  multitude."^' 

Truly,  it  was  the  study  of  the  Bible,  which  con- 
nected with  other  learning,  made  him  the  man  that 
he  was,  which  endowed  him  with  power  as  a  preach- 
er, and  enabled  him  so  to  address  the  human  con- 
science, the  imagination,  and  the  heart,  as  to  awake 
an  echo  in  the  bosom  of  the  nation.  For  who  can 
be  so  well  prepared  to  address  the  conscience,  as  he 
who  has  felt  that  the  gospel  commends  itself  to  his 
own  conscience,  and  has  habitually  brought  that 
faculty  into  contact  with  its  truths  in  all  their  origi- 
nal grandeur  and  vividness  ?  Who  so  fit  to  address 
the  imagination,  as  he  who  has  studied  the  glowing 

poetry  of  David  and  Isaiah,  and  drank  at  the  foun- 
• 

*  Note  D.     "The  Bible  alone." 


152  Christianity  and  Traditionism. 


tain  of  their  inspiration  ?  Who  so  well  prepared  to 
address  the  heart,  as  he  who  from  the  mirror  of 
God's  word  sees  the  very  recesses  of  the  human 
heart  reflected ;  has  marked  the  image  of  his  own, 
has  mourned  over  its  deformities,  and  felt  within 
him  the  renovation  of  the  Spirit  ?  It  is  the  study 
of  the  Bible  which  thus  gives  man  power  with  man. 
It  was  this  which  quickened  the  energies  of  V(j- 
cliffe's  spirit,  strengthened  him  for  his  great  conflict 
with  the  principalities  and  powers  of  darkness,  and 
spiritual  wickedness  in  high  places  ;  enabled  him, 
unawed  by  the  man  of  sin,  to  raise  his  reproving 
voice  in  majestic  tones  which  broke  the  sleep  of 
Christendom,  and  roused  a  kindred  spirit  in  many 
thousand  bosoms.  It  was  this  which  fitted  him  to 
break  the  fetters  of  tradition,  to  disenthral  the 
church  from  its  vassalage  to  the  priesthood,  to  make 
the  pillars  of  the  papal  throne  to  tremble,  and  to 
preside  as  the  master-spirit  of  a  storm  which  was  the 
precursor  of  a  new  creation  in  the  moral  world. 

It  only  remains  that  we  consider,  for  a  moment, 
how  the  principles  of  Wyclifi'e  have  fared  since  his 
day.  They  were  soon  carried  from  England  to  the 
continent.  They  found  a  favorable  reception  with 
all  who  sympathized  with  the  spirit  of  the  Waldenses. 
When  Wycliffe  ceased  to  bear  aloft  the  torch  of 
truth,  it  was  seized  by  such  men  as  John  Huss  and 
Jerome  of  Prague.  Colomesius  has  published  a 
letter,  which  our  Reformer  wrote  to  Huss  the  last 
year  of  his  life,  and  Jerome  we  know  was  a  true- 
hearted  disciple  of  Wycliffe.  From  these  great 
lights  many  inferior  ones  were  kindled,  till  by  the 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.         153 


time  Luther  appeared,  faint  gleams  at  least  were 
seen  both  in  the  palace  and  the  cottage.     Under 
Luther,  Protestantism  triumphed,  but  unfortunately 
Luther  never  saw  what  the  old  Waldenses  before 
him  had  seen  so  clearly,  that  the  essential  principles 
on  which  he  insisted,  the  sufficiency  of  Scripture 
and  right  of  private  judgment,  if  followed  out  to 
their  legitimate  issue  in  the  ecclesiastical  economy, 
would   break   all    formal   connection   between   the 
church  and  the  state,  and  forbid  the  existence,  of  a 
religion  established  and  enforced  by  law.     Indeed, 
Luther  did  not  apply  these  principles  to  the  constitu- 
tion of  the  church,  but  sought  only  by  their  aid  to 
emancipate   the   essential  doctrines   of    Christianity 
from  the  bondage  of  church  authority.     Therefore 
he  says,  in  his  work  on  Galatians,  "  Wherefore  if 
the  pope  will  grant  unto  us,  that  God  alone,  by  his 
mere  grace  through  Christ  doth  justify  sinners,  we 
will  not  only  carry  him  in  our  hands,  but  will  also 
KISS  HIS  feet  ;  but  since  we  cannot  obtain  this,  we 
again  in  God  are  proud  against  him  above  measure, 
and  will  give  no  place,  no,  not  one  hair's-breadth,  to 
all  the  angels  in  heaven  ;  not  to  Peter,  not  to  Paul, 
not  to  a  hundred  emperors,  nor  to  a  thousand  popes, 
nor  to  the  whole  world."     With  these  views,  we 
need  not  wonder  that  when  Protestantism  conquered, 
it  seated  itself  in  a  legal  establishment,  upholding 
an   orthodox   creed,   and   a   state-paid    priesthood. 
Notwithstanding   all    the   boast   of   freedom,   if  a 
C*'hristian  teacher  had,  in  the  exercise  of  the  right 
of  private  judgment,  denied  any  baptism  to  be  valid, 
except  that  which  was  voluntary,  and  received  as  a 


154         Cheistianity  and  Traditionism. 

profession  of  personal  faith,  he  would  have  been  an- 
swered, "  hear  the  church," — "  hear  the  church  f 
and  the  Reformers  would  have  said,  as  Calvin  did, 
"  the  church  hath  taken  unto  herself  the  power  to 
alter  this."  In  fact,  even  under  the  auspices  of 
Protestantism,  church  authority  was  exalted  over 
the  Bible,  as  far  as  the  ecclesiastical  economy  was 
concerned,  while  the  right  of  private  judgment  was 
set  free  only  in  the  interpretation  of  Christian  doc- 
trines. Two  results  followed.  On  the  one  hand, 
there  was  a  visible  church,  formal  and  cold,  with  a 
dead  creed,  a  body  of  orthodoxy  without  a  spirit. 
On  the  other,  the  individual  reason,  boasting  of 
liberty,  and  not  impressed  with  reverence  for  the 
authority  of  the  Bible,  inculcated  a  rationalistic  in- 
fidelity under  the  name  of  Christianity.  Thence,  it 
has  been  remarked  by  Reinhard,  "  Were  Luther  to 
rise  again  from  the  grave,  he  could  not  possibly 
recognize  as  his  own,  or  as  members  of  the  society 
which  he  founded,  those  teachers  who  in  our  church 
would  fain  novf-a-days  be  considered  as 'his  succes- 
sors. He  founded  his  church  in  Saxony.  We  come 
together  to  thank  God  for  its  foundation,  but  alas ! 
it  is  no  more  !"*  In  England,  too,  where  Protes- 
tantism boasted  of  being  more  staid  and  sober  than 
in  Germany,  there  was  less  of  reckless  speculation 
in  the  church,  but  still  more  of  a  disposition,  where 
the  controversy  with  Rome  was  not  involved,  to 
give  supremacy  to  church  authority  in  matters  of 
faith.    The  supreme  authority  of  the  Scriptures  over 

*  Reinliard  iiber  die  Kirehen-Yerbesseriing,  1800. 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.  155 

the  conscience  of  the  individual,  a  great  and  distin- 
guished doctrine  of  primitive  Christianity,  found  its 
shrine  and  defenders  amongst  those  who  dissented 
from  all  legal  establishments,  and  who  maintained 
the  spiritual  and  voluntary  character  of  the  church. 
This  principle  gave  to  Dissent  its  moral  power,  and 
proved  its  diffusive  energy,  by  modifying  the  opinions 
of  multitudes  within  the  pale  of  the  Establishment. 
Thence  the  devoted  friends  of  church  authority  have 
become  alarmed,  and  at  Oxford,  where  Wycliffe 
lived,  and  learned,  and  taught,  have  raised  anew 
their  standard,  and,  in  lifting  up  the  cry  of  "  primi- 
tive Christianity,"^  hope  that  they  have  uttered  what 
shall  prove  to  be  rallying  words  to  a  declining- 
church.  But  the  august  Christianity  which  they  so 
revere  as  "  primitive,"  is  not  that  which  Luke  has 
pictured  in  his  thirty  years'  history  of  the  early 
church,  but  that  whose  form  is  composed  of  the 
various  elements  which  existed  prior  to  the  council 
of  Trent.  At  Oxford,  where  the  seeds  of  the  Refor- 
mation were  "sown,  men  are  decrying  the  Reformation 
itself!  One  of  the  most  enthusiastic  and  honored 
members  of  that  school  has  said,  "  As  to  the  Re- 
formers, I  think  worse  and  worse  of  them  ;  Jewell 
was  what  you  would  in  these  days  call  an  irreverent 
Dissenter.  Really,  I  hate  the  Reformation  more 
and  more,  and  have  almost  made  up  my  mind  that 
the  rational  spirit  they  set  afloat  is  the  yjsvdoTrgocprjTijg 
of  the  Revelations."  Again  :  "  I  shall  never  call 
the^  Holy  Eucharist  the  Lord's  Supper  ;  nor  God's 
priests  ministers  of  the  word  ;  nor  the  altar  the 
Lord's  table  ;  nor  shall   I  ever  abuse  the  Roman 


156  Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

Catholics  as  a  church,  for  any  thing  except  excom- 
municating us."* 

In  our  own  country,  at  its  first  settlement,  Protes- 
tantism was  for  the  most  part  established  by  law. 
Of  course,  it  was  not  a  Protestantism  true  to  its  own 
first  principles,  the  sufi^ciency  of  the  Scriptures  and 
the  right  of  private  judgment,  and  it  has  engendered 
here  the  same  fruits  as  in  Europe  ;  in  one  class  of 
minds,  a  supreme  reverence  for  trapition  and  the 
church,  rather  than  the  Bible, f  in  another  class,  a 
disposition  to  exalt  the  authority  of  reason  over 
that  of  the  Bible. 

With  the  one  class,  the  Oxford  doctrines  are 
gaining  ground,  and  preparing  the  way  for  another 
generation  to  look  back  to  Rome  as  the  true  "  mother 
of  us  all,''  with  the  other  class,  every  fresh  conceit 
of  a  foreign  philosophy  is  hailed  as  a  proof  of  the 
"  progress  of  humanity."  The  one  class,  feeling  like 
men  without  firm  footing,  without  a  light,  without  a 
guide,  and  tired  of  the  dissensions  of  those  around 
them,  turn  with  longing  eyes  to  the  boasted  unity 
and  infallibility  of  the  holy  apostolic  church  ;  the 
other  class  are  quite  at  ease  amid  the  elements  of 
strife,  call  the  discord  harmony,  and  are  saying, 
"  Let  every  man  be  his  own  church.":}: 

If  we  were  called  to  select  an  emblem  which  should 
characterize  and  grace  the  publications  of  the  one 
class,  who  prefer  the  light  of  church  tradition  to  the 
light  of  the  Bible,  we  should  picture  a  mariner  at 


*  Froude's  Remains,  Vol.  I,  p.  379,  &c. 

f  Note  E.     Conversions  to  the  Romish  Church. 

X  Note  F.     The  Religious  Sentiment. 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.         15Y 


sea  taking  an  observation  to  ascertain  his  course, 
holding  up  his  glass  toward  a  meteor,  which  he  had 
mistaken  for  the  polar  star  ;  for  those  of  the  other 
class,  who  look  at  every  thing  by  the  light  of  their 
own  reason,  rather  tlian  by  that  of  revelation,  we 
should  select  the  emblem  of  a  Dial,  and  a  man  with 
a  sage  philosophic  air  examining  it  in'  the  night  to 
ascertain  the  true  time  by  the  light  of  his  oivn  candle. 
AVhile  these  two  rival  principles,  the  authority  of 
church  tradition  and  the  authority  of  reason,  are  in 
process  of  development,  happy  will  they  be,  who 
shall  be  found  at  last  to  have  bowed  only  to  the 
authority  of  God's  word,— tho^t  word  which  he  hath 
magnified  above  all  his  name,  of  which  it  hath  been 
said,  though  heaven  and  earth  pass  away,  yet  shall 
it  not  pass  away  ;  which  is  pure,  enlightening  the 
eyes,  sure,  making  wisfe  the  simple  ;  which  shall 
judge  every  man  in  the  last  day,  and  prove  that  the 
world  by  wisdom  knew  not  God,  and  that  the  wisdom 
of  the  world  is  foolishness  with  Him.  May  we  under- 
stand it,  love  it,  obey  it,  preach  it,  exemplify  it,  and 
so  link  our  destinies  to  its  cause,  that  we  shall  share 
in  all  the  honors  of  its  triumph. 


APPENDIX 


Note  A.     Page  142. 

THE  RIGHT  OF  PRIVATE  JUDGMENT. 

The  existence  of  this  right,  within  the  realm  of 
religion,  has  been  extensively  denied  both  in  times 
past  and  in  the  present.  The  Church  of  Rome  has 
denied  it.  The  national  Protestant  churches  of  the 
continent  of  Europe  have  denied  it.  A  large  por- 
tion of  the  church  of  England  have  denied  it.  By 
this  latter  class,  especially  the  Puseyites,  the  denial 
of  it  has  been  maintained  of  late  years  with  intense 
strenuousness.  The  ground  has  been  taken  that  pri- 
vate men  cannot  understand  the  Bible — that  they 
are  too  liable  to  be  misled  by  false  interpretation — 
that,  therefore,  there  is  need  of  a  church-authority  to 
interpose  between  the  reader  and  his  Bible  in  order 
to  fix  its  meaning  ;  and  that  to  this  voice  of  autlior- 
ity  every  individual  is  bound  to  listen  and  submit. 
In  all  cases  of  doubt,  the  advocates  of  this  dogma 
say,  '  Hear  the  church  ;'  and  this  they  propose  as  a 
panacea  for  divisions,  a  sovereign  balm  for  the  sore 
wounds  of  controversy  and  discord. 

Miserable  physicians  these  !  For  when  they  quote 
Fathers  and  councils  and  homilies,  they  only  enlarge 


160  APPENDIX. 


the  scope  for  disputation  ;  the  sense  of  this  or  that 
quotation  may  be  as  severely  contested  as  the  sense 
of  an  apostle,  and  new  fuel  will  be  added  to  the 
flames  of  controversy.  Paul's  enconium  on  the  suf- 
ficiency of  the  Scripture  is  as  plain  as  any  homily, 
or  the  sense  of  any  council,  or  the  words  of  any 
Father  ;  and  it  says,  '  all  the  Scripture  is  profitable  ' 
— for  whom  ?  For  the  Priesthood,  or  for  a  learned . 
ministry?  Or  for  the  church  as  a  body  ?  No  ;  but 
for  the  individual ;  profitable  for  instruction,  that 
THE  MAN  of  God  may  be  perfect  and  thoroughly  fur- 
nished unto  all  good  works. 

So,  too,  when  Christ  preached  those  sermons  which 
are  recorded  in  the  New  Testament,  he  addressed 
them  to  individuals,  to  the  consciences  of  private 
men  ;  and  bade  these  men  by  the  light  of  the  sacred 
Scriptures  to  examine  the  teacliings  of  those  who 
were  the  ministers  of  a  divinely  appointed  church. 
Those  teachers  themselves  he  charged  with  making 
'  God's  word  of  none  effect,"  and  predicted  that  on 
them  the  displeasure  of  Heaven  would  fall  weightily. 
As  they  sat  in  Moses'  seat  he  directed  the  people  to 
do  those  things  which  they  urged  on  the  ground  of 
Moses'  authority  ;  but  at  the  same  time  commanded  his 
hearers  to  discriminate  between  sound  doctrine  and 
traditions,  to  observe  the  examples  of  their  rabbles, 
and  to  avoid  their  works.  Quickening  the  conscien- 
ces, and  awakening  the  private  judgment  of  the  indi- 
viduals who  came  to  him  with  questions,  he  did  not 
say,  '  Hear  the  church '  on  disputed  doctrines,  but 
'  What  saith  the  Scripture  ?'  '  Have  ye  not  read  ?' 
The  inquiry  with  which  he  met  those  who  brought 


APPENDIX.  161 


to  him  their  doubts  suggested  by  the  discussions 
amongst  the  '  wise  men  '  of  that  age,  was,  '  Have  ye 
not  read  ?' — always  rousing  the  individual  to  feel 
the  majesty  of  God's  oracle — that  it  was  wrong  for 
him  to  turn  away  from  the  inspired  word  to  listen  to 
the  voice  of  men,  and  that,  if  from  '  the  Father  who 
seeth  in  secret '  he  would  seek  direction,  the  Father 
himself  would  reward  him  openly. 

Nevertheless,  while  it  becomes  us  to  plead  for  the 
right  of  private  judgment,  we  must  not  neglect  to 
urge  the  duty  of  exercising  it.  Too  many  who  have 
contended  for  the  right  have  there  stopped,  seeming 
to  be  indifferent  whether  it  were  used  or  not ;  and 
if  at  all,  in  what  way.  They  have  advocated  intel- 
lectual liberty,  vindicated  tlie  people's  right  against 
the  pretensions  of  ecclesiastical  authority,  and  then 
have  coolly  regarded  it  as  a  thing  of  no  account  how 
men  treated  the  word  and  authority  of  God. 

Now,  our  Saviour  not  only  declared  the  right,  but 
also  the  obligation  to  exercise  it  ;  held  it  forth  as  a 
solemn  duty  before  God — that  in  his  presence  the  in- 
dividual stands  accountable — that  on  the  manner  in 
which  he  uses  this  endowment  his  destiny  must  turn 
— that  pride,  prejudice,  passion,  or  unbelief  may 
blind  him  fatally— urging  him  to  search  the  Scrip- 
tures because  they  reveal  eternal  life,  saying  :  '  If 
any  man  reject  my  Word  he  hath  one  that  judgeth 
him  :  the  Word  that  I  have  spoken,  the  same  shall 
judge  him  in  the  last  day.' 

These  are  soul-stirring  considerations — arguments 
of  ^awful  moment.  It  is  a  solemn  thought  that  such 
a  responsibility  rests  on  every  man,  and  inheres  in 


162  APPENDIX. 


liis  immortal  nature — that  we  are  all  under  sin,  and 
have  a  message  from  God  touching  the  remedy  which 
we  must  consider  and  act  on,  or  perish — that  there 
is  only  one  Being  in  the  uni\l3rse  who  can  save  us, 
even  Jesus  Christ — that  if  we  go  astray  from  Him, 
no  ministry  of  man  whether  apostolic  or  non-apos- 
tolic can  redeem  us — that  if  any  priesthood,  or 
church,  (so  called)  cause  one  to  err,  it  cannot  help 
him  in  the  end,  but  that  such  priesthood,  or  church, 
and  the  deluded  individual,  incur  the  peril  of  perdi- 
tion together,  because  '  he  that  believeth  on  the  Son 
hath  everlasting  life,  but  he  that  believeth  not  the 
Son  shall  not  see  life,  but  the  wrath  of  God  abideth 
on  him.'  Blessed,  indeed,  is  he  who  readeth  and  un- 
derstandeth  the  words  of  this  Book  I 


IS'ote  B.     Page  143. 

GIBBON'S  GREAT  MISTAKE. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  in  spite  of  all  the  ob- 
jections to  Gibbon's  History  of  the  Decline  and  Fall 
of  the  Roman  Empire,  the  genius  and  learning  of 
Christendom  have  never  been  able  to  displace  it  by 
another  work.  In  the  realm  of  history,  he  alone  has 
wrought  a  finely  arched  bridge  spanning  the  chasm 
which  separates  the  ancient  from  modern  civilization. 
It  were  devoutly  to  be  wished  that  the  constructor 
of  such  a  pathway  for  the  feet  of  successive  genera- 
tions had  been  a  true  Christian.  Yet  it  is  well 
worthy  of  notice  that  to  almost  all  the  sceptical  ob- 
jections against  Christianity  to  be  found  in  the  vol- 
umes of  Gibbon,  one  answer  will  sufiice.  This  an- 
swer is  that  his  ideas  of  Christianity  are  not  derived 
from  a  pure  source — not  from  the  New  Testament, 
but  from  the  church-history  of  ages  succeeding  that 
of  Christ  and  the  Apostles.  His  suble  shafts  have 
no  force  against  our  holy  religion  as  taught  by  the 
Saviour  and  his  disciples,  but  only  against  tliat  spu- 
rious Christianity  which  developed  itself  in  State- 
Establishments  after  it  had  been  more  and  more 
deeply  corrupted  by  the  mixture  of  worldly  ele- 
ments. 

This  view  of  the  case  has  been  obvious  to  many, 
and  must  arrest  the  attention  of  any  reader  who  has 
beeif  accustomed  to  distinguish  between  the  Chris- 
tianity of  the  New  Testament  and  the  Christianity 


164  APPENDIX. 


of  what  is  called  Church-History.  This  distinction, 
and  the  effect  of  overlooking  it,  are  well  stated  by 
Milman,  in  one  of  his  notes,  in  which  he  says  :  "  The 
art  of  Gibbon,  or,  at  least,  the  unfair  impression  pro- 
duced by  these  two  memorable  chapters,  (the  fifteenth 
and  sixteenth,)  consists  in  confounding  together  in 
one  undistinguishable  mass,  the  origin  and  apostolic 
propagation  of  the  Christian  religion  with  its  later 
progress.  The  main  question,  the  divine  origin  of 
the  religion,  is  dexterously  eluded  or  speciously  con- 
ceded ;  his  plan  enables  him  to  commence  his  ac- 
count, in  most  parts,  below  the  apostolic  tiines  ;  and  it 
is  only  by  the  strength  of  the  dark  coloring  with 
which  he  has  brought  out  the  failings  and  the  follies 
of  succeeding  ages,  that  a  shadow  of  doubt  and  sus- 
picion is  thrown  back  on  the  primitive  period  of 
Christianity.  Divest  the  whole  passage  of  the  latent 
sarcasm  betrayed  by  the  subsequent  tone  of  the  whole 
disquisition,  and  it  might  commence  a  Christian  his- 
tory written  in  the  most  Christian  spirit  of  candor." 
In  this  note  the  learned  editor  of  Gibbon  utters  a 
true  testimony  ;  and  in  this  connection  it  is  instruct- 
ive to  remember  the  fact  that  Gibbon  was  educated 
among  Christians  who  did,  themselves,  confound 
these  different  things  and  habitually  overlook  these 
very  distinctions.  The  celebrated  History  of  which 
we  speak,  illustrates  the  effect  of  this  confusion  on 
the  mind  of  an  independent  thinker.  He  had  not 
been  taught  to  regard  the  New  Testament  as  the 
one  simple,  all-sufficient  standard  of  Christianity,  but 
to  look  for  that  standard  in  church-tradition,  or 
church-history.     The  same  error  is  now  committed 


APPENDIX.  16e5 


and  defended,  not  only  by  Papists,  but  by  Pro- 
testants of  \  arious  names  ;  by  Puseyites,  and  by  all 
who  agree  with  the  Lutheran  school  of  Pennsylvania, 
under  Dr.  Schaff,  in  the  doctrine  that  Christianity, 
as  a  religion,  was  gradually  developed  in  ages  suc- 
ceeding that  of  the  Apostles.  Multitudes,  adopting 
this  belief,  are  not  satisfied  with  the  Scripture  as  a 
sufficient  guide  to  faith  and  practice,  but  to  look  to 
tradition  and  history  for  the  standard  or  canon  by 
which  to  settle  the  question — what  is  Christianity  ? 
This  principle  is  well  adapted  to  raise  up  other  Gib- 
bons in  time  to  come,  by  throwing  back  dark  shad- 
ows of  doubt  and  unbelief  over  the  divine  origin  of 
Christianity  itself.  Men  of  naturally  tame  and  timid 
mind,  and  all  men  in  whom  sentiment  predominates 
over  intellect,  will  be  easily  led  by  such  a  principle 
into  the  labyrinths  of  superstition  ;  while  men  of 
bold,  inquiring  spirit,  will  bound  away  from  it  over 
the  trackless  wastes  of  infidelity.  Hence,  the  prin- 
ciple itself,  harmless  as  it  may  seem  to  some,  is  more 
dangerous  than  any  system  of  avowed  and  open  in- 
fidelity ;  it  is  a  "  cockatrice's  Qgg^  smooth  and  fair 
to  the  eye,  but  capable  of  developing  from  within  it- 
self a  double  progeny  of  poisonous  vipers. 

The  Christianity  of  the  New  Testament  is  one 
thing  ;  the  Christianity  of  Tradition  is  another 
thing.  The  icord  of  the  Lord — that  shall  stand. 
The  material  heavens  and  earth  may  pass  away  ; 
that  "  shall  not  pass  away."  The  system  which  is 
built  on  that  rests  on  eternal  rock  ;  every  other 
foundation  is  of  wood,  hay  and  stubble,  that  can  not 
stand  the  crucible  of  God's  refining  fires. 


Note  C.     Page  146. 

BEAUSOBRE  ON  THE  AUTHORITY  OF 
"THE  FATHERS." 

Beausobre  was  a  very  learned  French  writer  of 
the  seventeenth  century.  He  was  a  warm-hearted 
Protestant,  a  powerful  preacher,  and  wielded  an 
effective  pen.  When  the  royal  signet  was  put  upon 
the  door  of  a  Protestant  church  in  France,  in  order 
to  prevent  public  worship,  he  broke  the  signet,  and 
on  that  account  was  forced  to  be  an  exile.  In  the 
year  1694  he  went  to  Berlin,  and  became  chaplain 
to  the  Court  of  Prussia.  We  read  many  things, 
now-a-days,  which  remind  us  of  a  passage  of  his 
writings  on  the  authority  of  "  The  Fathers."  He 
^ays,  in  his  critical  history  of  Manichaeism,  "  Some 
will  charge  me  with  speaking  disrespectfully  of  the 
Fathers.  I  grant,  some  expressions  may  have  escaped 
me,  which  I  might  have  softened  ;  but  then,  narra- 
tions notoriously  false,  or  monstrously  exaggerated, 
bad  reasonings,  a  blind  belief  of  every  thing  reported 
to  disgrace  heretics,  a  reigning  passion  to  render 
their  persons  odious — all  this  irritates  an  equitable 
mind.  But  what  provokes  beyond  all  patience,  is 
to  see  that  selfish  abuse  which  some  writers  make 
of  the  names  and  testimonies  of  the  Fathers.  A 
sort  of  false  reasoning  which  I  call  the  sophism  of 
authority,  hath  been  long  introduced,  and  now  con- 
tinues to  be  applied  to  the  most  pernicious  purposes. 
Reason  and  religion  are  oppressed,  and  in  order  to 


APPENDIX.  167 


defend  opinions  evidently  false,  and  practices  grossly 
superstitious,  a  sentence  is  quoted  from  an  ancient 
writer,  and  puffed  off  with  the  vain  title  of  a  saiiit 
and  a  great  saint.  People,  on  hearing  this  superb 
title,  are  seduced  into  an  imagination  that  they 
hear  an  oracle,  and  sincerely  .believe  that  justness 
of  thought,  accuracy  of  expression,  solidity  of  reason- 
ing, and  demonstrative  evidence  ,are  necessarily  con- 
nected with  saints/lip,  and  great  saintship.  They 
even  fancy  that  such  men  were  under  the  immediate 
influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  inseparably  connected 
with  their  writings.  Reason,  abashed  and  timid, 
durst  not  resist ;  or  if  it  dare  be  so  bold,  admirers 
of  antiquity  will  exclaim  first  at  presumption  and 
pride,  and  last  at  heresy.  In  vain  Jesus  Christ  said, 
"  One  is  your  Master  ;"  and  Paul,  "  Be  ye  not  the 
servants  of  men."  Never  did  Constantino  YI.  dis- 
cover more  wisdom  and  prudence  than  when  he  for- 
bade the  title  of  saint  to  be  given  to  any  except  the 
Apostles.  He  saw  the  abuse,  and  endeavored  to 
correct  it.  I  esteem  and  honor  the  Fathers,  but  I 
do  not  think  them  infallible,  either  as  evidences  of 
a  fact,  or  as  just  reasoners,  from  facts  allowed  to  be 
true.  Even  they  who  incessantly  plead  for  their 
authority,  occasionally  criticise  them.  They  have 
done  more.  They  have  corrupted  their  writings  in 
an  infinite  number  of  places,  and  this  they  call  cor- 
recting them." 

These  remarks  are  as  worthy  of  attention  in  the 
present  age,  as  they  were  when  first  published.  It 
would  seem  as  if  some  men  had  been  given  up  to  the 
power  of  judicial  blindness,  and  to  the  superstitions 


168  APPENDIX. 


of  a  corrupt  Ckristianity,  for  the  sin  of  forsaking 
Christ,  to  follow  the  authority  of  men.  Even  now, 
how  few  there  are,  comparatively  speaking,  who, 
before  joining  a  church,  come  reverently  to  the  New 
Testament,  resolved  to  find  a  church  in  that,  and 
that  alone.  How  many,  bearing  the  name  of  Pro- 
testants, regard  the  New  Testament  as  containing 
only  the  germs  of  Christianity,  while  the  full  devel- 
opment is  to  be  looked  for  in  church  history,  tradi- 
tion, and  the  books  of  the  Fathers.  Oh,  that  they 
could  understand  the  sufficiency  of  the  Scripture,  and 
the  voice  of  him  who  saith,  "I  am  the  Light  of  the 
world  ]  he  i\i2ii  followeth  me,  shall  not  walk  in  dark- 
ness, but  shall  have  the  light  of  life." 


Note  D.     Page  161. 

"THE   BIBLE   ALONE." 

From  several  notices  which  have  appeared  in  the 
English  papers,  we  perceive  that  the  friends  of  evan- 
gelical religion  in  the  Church  of  England,  are  grad- 
ually concentrating  their  forces  in  definite  plans  of 
action  for  the  purpose  of  church  reform.  One  grand 
design  which  they  have  in  view,  is  the  alteration  of 
the  Prayer-Book,  so  as  to  exclude  from  it  those  ele- 
ment^, of  Popery  which  now  mar  its  pages,  and  to 
render  it  more  exactly  conformable  to  the  Word  of 
God  as  the  only  standard  of  Christian  faith.  Lord 
Ashley  is  a  prime  leader  in  this  movement.  A 
metropolitan  association  has  been  organized  to  act 
in  concert  with  kindred  societies  already  formed  in 
various  sections  of  the  country,  and  there  is  good 
reason  to  believe  that  there  is  nigh  at  hand  some 
great  change  of  sufficient  moment  to  be  reckoned  as 
an  historical  era. 

While  these  things  are  in  progress,  the  Puseyites 
are  daily  manifesting  their  affinities  with  the  Mother- 
Church,"  and  are  rallying  their  energies,  for  a  des- 
perate onset  against  "  the  Evangelicals."  The  signs 
of  the  times  indicate  that  there  are  now  gathering 
in  England  the  elements  of  a  religious  excitement 
unparalleled  since  the  days  of  "  the  great  Reforma- 
tion," and  that  the  same  questions  which  then  agi- 
tated Christendom  are  coming  up  afresh.  But, 
thanks  to  God,  they  are  coming  up  in  a  very  dif- 


170  APPENDIX. 


ferent  state  of  the  world.  The  fires  of  Smithfield 
cannot  now  be  kindled  ;  the  rack  and  the  thumb- 
screw cannot  now  be  used  as  means  to  enforce  con- 
A^iction  ;  but  the  controversy  must  be  determined  by 
moral  forces  only,  and  the  final  issue  will  furnish  a 
grand  commentary  on  the  saying  that  is  written, 
"  Thou  hast  magnified  thy  word  above  all  thy 
name.-'  - 

Nevertheless,  while  the  contest  waxes  warm  be- 
tween traditionism  on  the  one  hand,  and  evangelical 
religion  on  the  other,  it  is  an  interesting  question, 
"What  relation  does  popular  infidelity  hold  to  the 
general  progress  of  opinion  ?  Infidelity  has  doffed 
its  old  garbs  and  titles,  and  now  stands  forth  as  the 
friend  and  champion  of  the  masses,  under  the  banner 
of  Christian  liberalism.  It  "  lifts  up  an  ensign  to 
the  people,"  and  we  see  emblazoned  on  its  waving 
folds,  those  taking  words.  "Social  Reform."  It 
openly  professes  to  honor  Christ  and  to  hate  the 
church.  It  wars  against  Popery  and  it  scoffs  at 
evangelical  religion.  It  declares  in  the  language 
of  Ronge,  that  "  if  Roman  Catholics  liave  a  Pope  at 
Rome,  the  Protestants  have  made  their  Pope  of  a 
book,  and  that  book  is  a  dead  letter."  It  affirms 
that  the  disciples  of  Jesus  have,  hitherto,  misunder- 
stood him.  that  his  kingdom  is  of  this  world  ;  that 
Socialism  is  Christianity  adapted  to  the  times,  cre- 
ating all  tilings  new,  and  aiming  to  })roduce  on  earth 
a  heaven  of  peace  and  plenty.  It  is  far  mightier  in 
Europe  than  in  America  ;  it  is  attracting  multitudes 
to  its  camp  :  in  view  of  the  great  moral  battle  of 
civilization,  it  deems  itself  ''  the  immortal  phalanx," 


APPENDIX.  171 


and  has  been  called  by  some  intelligent  writers,  the 
great  moving  power  of  the  European  mind.  What, 
we  ask,  is  its  real  relation  to  Popery,  to  Christianity, 
to  Society  ? 

Hugh  Miller,  in  his  "  First  Impressions  of  Eng- 
land and  its  People" — says,  "  That  which,  apart  from 
relisrious  considerations,-  is  chiefly  to  be  censured 
and  regretted,  in  the  zeal  of  the  Ronges  and  Shen- 
stones,  Michelets,  and  Eugene  Sues,  is,  not  that  it  is 
inconsistent,  but  that  it  constitutes  at  best  but  a 
Tacuum-creating  power.  It  forms  a  void,  where  in 
the  nature  of  things,  no  void  can  permanently  exist, 
and  which  superstition  is  ever  rushing  in  to  fill  ;  and 
so  the  progress  of  the  race,  wherever  it  is  influen- 
tially  operative,  instead  of  being  conducted  onwards 
in  its  proper  line  of  march,  becomes  a  weary  cycle, 
that  ever  returns  upon  itself.  The  human  intellect, 
under  its  influence,  seems  as  if  drawn  within  the 
ceaselessly  revolving  eddies  of  a  giddy  maelstrom, 
or  as  if  it  had  become  obnoxious  to  the  remarkable 
curse  pronounced  of  old  by  the  Psalmist :  I  quote 
from  the  version  of  Milton  : 

*'  My  God !  oh,  make  them  as  a  wheel  ; 
No  quiet  let  them  find ; 
Giddy  and  restless  let  them  reel 
Like  stubble  from  the  wind." 

History  is  emphatic  on  the  point.  Nearly  three 
centuries  have  elapsed  since  the  revived  Christianity 
of  the  Reformation,  supplanted  Roman  Catholicism 
in  Scotland.  But  there  was  no  vacuum  created  ;  the 
space  previously  taken  up  in  the  popular  mind  by 


172  APPENDIX. 


the  abrogated  superstition,  was  amply  occupied  by 
the  resuscitated  faith  ;  and  as  a  direct  consequence, 
whatever  reaction  in  favor  of  Popery  may  have 
taken  place  among  the  people,  is  of  a  purely  politi- 
cal, not  religious  character.  With  Popery  as  a 
religion,  the  Presbyterian  Scotch  are  as  far  from 
closing  now  as  they  ever  were.  But  how  entirely 
different  has  been  the  state  of  matters  in  France ! 
There  are  men  still  living,  who  remember  the  death 
of  Voltaire.  In  the  course  of  a  single  lifetime, 
Popery  has  been  twice  popular  and  influential  in 
that  country,  and  twice  has  the  vacuum-creating 
power,  more  than  equally  popular  and  influential 
for  the  time,  closed  chill  and  cold  around  it  to 
induce  its  annihilation. 

The  literature  of  France,  for  the  last  half  century, 
is  curiously  illustrative  of  this  process  of  action  and 
reaction — of  condensation  and  expansion.  It  ex- 
hibits during  that  period,  three  distinct  groups  of 
authors.  There  is  first,  a  group  of  vacuum-creators 
— a  surviving  remnant  of  the  Encyclopedists  of  the 
previous  half  century — adequately  represented  by 
Condor cet  and  the  Abbe  Paynal  :  next  appears  a 
group  of  the  reactionists,  represented  equally  well 
by  Chateaubriand  and  Lamartine  ;  and  then — for 
Popery  has  again  become  monstrous — we  see  a 
second  group  of  vacuum-creators  in  the  Eugene 
Sues  and  the  Michelets,  the  most  popular  French 
writers  of  the  present  day.  And  thus  must  the 
cycle  revolve,  "  unquiet  and  giddy  as  a  wheel,"  unti] 
France  shall  find  rest  in  the  Christianity  of  the  New 
Testament. 


APPENDIX.  173 


These  apt  remarks  of  the  Scotch  Geologist  well 
illustrate  the  conservative  power  of  a  simple  New 
Testament  religion,  and  exhibit  the  truth  and  value 
of  the  great  Protestant  principle — "  The  Bible  alone, 
the  rule  of  our  faith."  They  contain,  moreover, 
although  not  so  intended  by  him,  a  striking  com- 
mentary on  that  remarkable  promise  which  God 
sent  from  heaven  to  the  church  in  Philadelphia  by 
the  mouth  of  the  beloved  apostle  :  "  Because  thou 
hast  kept  my  word  I  also  will  keep  thee."  And  so 
it  was.  The  church  of  Philadelphia  stood  in  the 
early  ages  like  a  column  amid  ruins.  Here  piety 
was  fed  at  the  fountain  of  pure  truth,  and  this  made 
her  adequate  to  every  emergency.  In  the  Divine 
Word  itself  there  is  a  mighty  conservative  power,  of 
which,  at  the  present  day,  Scotland  presents  a  fine 
exemplification.  In  no  country  of  the  world,  is 
Scriptural  knowledge  more  widely  diffused  among 
the  people,  and  therefore,  while  England  is  destined 
to  reel  under  the  shocks  of  Papal  and  anti-Papal 
excitement,  Scotland  will  stand  firm  on  the  rocky 
grounds  of  her  faith,  and  survey  the  troubled  scene 
with  the  serenity  of  a  sage  and  friendly  observer. 


Xote  E.     Page  166. 

CONVERSIONS  TO  THE  ROMISH  CHURCH. 

For  a  considerable  time  past,  it  has  been  a  sub- 
ject of  remark  in  the  religious  circles  of  this  country, 
that  here  and  there  were  to  be  seen  sons  and  daugh- 
ters of  American  Protestants  abandoning  the  temples 
where  their  fathers  worshipped,  and  seeking  repose 
for  their  souls  in  the  rites  and  forms  of  the  Romish 
communion  which  claims  to  be  the  Holy  Catholic 
church.  These  changes  have  occurr.ed  not  amongst 
the  uneducated  and  the  ignorant,  but  in  some  fami- 
lies who  have  been  known  in  the  most  favored  walks 
of  life.  To  many,  these  changes  have  been  an  occa- 
sion of  astonishment.  In  this  feeling  we  have  not 
participated  ;  we  have  often  wondered  that  such 
changes  were  so  rare,  considering  that  such  multi- 
tudes of  American  youth  grow  up,  amidst  associa- 
tions nominally  Christian,  without  any  clear  concep- 
tion of  the  evidences  of  Christianity,  or  of  the  claims 
of  the  Bible  as  a  divinely  inspired  and  infallible 
standard  of  faith. 

In  every  Christian  country,  where  there  is  free- 
dom of  conscience  and  means  of  knowledge,  the 
greatest  danger  to  the  religious  sentiments  of  the 
community  arise,  not  from  a  bold  and  open  Infi- 
delity, but  from  the  natural  tendency  of  the  human 
soul  in  its  fallen  state  to  seek  rest  and  peace  in 
religious  Formalism.  This  was  the  course  of  things 
in  the  time  of  Christ.    The  Jews  gloried  in  a  divine 


APPENDIX.  175 


revelation,  but  He  told  them  that  they  made  it  void 
by  their  traditions.  It  was  not  effectually  denied 
or  opposed,  but  overlaid  by  a  human  authority  that 
boasted  of  a  divine  origin,  and  professed  to  be  armed 
with  divine  sanctions.  This  is  the  very  pretension 
of  the  Catholic  church,  and  connected  as  it  is  with 
the  plea  of  a  sacred  antiquity,  with  a  gorgeous 
system  of  worship,  with  an  organized  priesthood, 
with  a  unity  of  aim  and  effort,  with  an  artful  adap- 
tation to  character,  and  with  every  possible  appli- 
ance for  addressing  the  imagination  and  the  senses, 
it  must  present  a  strong  attraction  to  many  restless 
and  inquiring  souls,  who,  having  been  "  tost  to  and 
fro  "  with  the  agitations  of  scepticism,  have  never 
learned  that  the  Scripture  is  a  supernatural  and 
divine  counsellor,  "  sure,  making  wise  the  simple." 
Recoiling  from  the  issues  to  which  Infidelity  would 
lead  them,  and  scared  back  from  its  course  by  the 
social  evils  which  they  have  seen  disclosed,  bewil- 
dered with  doubt,  groping  their  way  Avithout  a. 
guide,  seeing  no  light  worthy  of  trust,  they  are  often 
lured  at  last  to  find  rest  and  peace  in  the  sweet  per- 
suasion that  they  may  lay  the  responsibility  of  their 
salvation  on  a  holy  priesthood  commissioned  to  dis- 
pense it,  and  yield  to  a  safe  and  heavenly  repose  in 
the  bosom  of  a  "  true  mother  churcli."  In  this  way 
it  is,  that  the  more  widely  either  sheer  ignorance  or 
learned  Infidelity  prevails  in  any  land,  the  more 
numerous  the  conquests  which  the  Romish  church 
will  be  sure  to  gain.  Infidelity  may  hate  her,  but 
is  too  weak  to  resist  her.  A  simple,  wide-spread 
faith   in    God's  word   alone   can   accomplish   that. 


176  APPENDIX. 


And  if  in  time  to  come  Transcendentalism,  (or 
Parkerism,  as  it  is  locally  named,)  shall  make  pro- 
gress here,  just  in  that  proportion  will  another 
generation  see  a  mighty  rush  of  educated,  earnest 
intellectual  American  youth  to  the  serene  shelter 
of  the  Papal  throne,  the  altar,  and  the  confessional. 
Indeed,  it  is  in  this  way  that  Rome  calculates  to 
regain  Germany.  Thus  she  did  regain  France. 
She  reasons,  that  the  free  inquiry  of  Protestantism 
will  produce  infidelity  ;  and  then,  tired  of  the  social 
turmoil  and  chaos  of  infidelity,  men  will  be  glad  to 
return  to  the  church  for  peace,  just  as  the  dove  of 
Noah  with  wearied  wing,  turned  from  the  stormy 
sea  to  the  ark  of  safety.  And  so  it  is  likely  to  be 
in  the  end,  unless  a  lively  faith  in  the  word  of  God 
can  be  restored  to  half-apostate  Germany.  That  is 
the  only  conservative  element  for  that  land  or  for 
this.  Such  a  faith  alone  can  preserve  us  from  a  dis- 
organizing Infidelity  on  the  one  hand,  and  an  oppres- 
sive superstition  on  the  other. 

From  this  view  of  the  case,  no  reflecting  Christian 
can  fail  to  see  the  argument  which  hence  arises  for 
earnest  effort  to  promote  the  study  of  the  Bible,  to 
have  our  youth  "rooted  and  grounded"  in  its  evi- 
dences and  principles.  Christian  parent !  are  your 
children  educated  thus  ?  Can  they  "  give  a  reason 
to  every  man  that  asketh  "  for  receiving  the  New 
Testament  as  a  divine  revelation  ?  If  not,  in  spite 
of  their  respect  for  you,  they  may  become  the  victims 
of  a  fatal  infidelity,  and  die,  at  last,  the  devotees  of 
that  Christless  superstition  which  Rome  is  so  intent 
and  so  busy  to  propagate.    The  church  history  of  all 


APPENDIX.  177 


the  past  is  one  impressive  comment  on  the  truth  and 
bearing  of  the  message  sent  from  Patmos  to  an 
ancient  church,  "  because  thou  hast  kept  the  word 
of  mj  patience,  I  also  will  keep  thee  from  the  hour 
of  temptation  which  shall  come  upon  all  the  world, 
to  try  them  that  dwell  upon  the  face  of  the  earth." 


Note  F.     Page  166. 

"THE  RELIGIOUS  SENTIMENT." 

In  the  conversation  of  multitudes,  in  the  dis- 
courses of  modern  Transcendentalists,  in  the  writ- 
ings of  those  who  claim  to  be  "  liberal  Christians," 
we  hear  and  read  much  which  implies  an  utter  igno- 
rance of  the  great  distinction  between  spiritual 
Christianity  and  the  natural  development  of  the 
religious  sentiment  in  man.  All  sincere  religionists 
are  regarded  as  developing  essentially  the  san^e  sen- 
timent under  different  forms  of  culture,  and  the  dif- 
ference between  one  and  another  is  considered  as 
being  merely  accidental.  This  is  the  view  which 
the  old  eclectics  took  of  the  matter,  for  they  endea- 
vored to  cull  out  something  good  from  all  schemes 
of  religion,  and  to  nourish  their  religious  sentiment 
from  the  best  parts  of  every  system.  And  there  are 
many  among  us  now,  talking  and  writing  in  favor 
of  Christianity,  who  cherish  the  same  doctrine,  nor, 
— although  they  have  the  New  Testament  in  their 
hands — have  they  ever  advanced  one  step  beyond 
this  exploded  Greek  philosophy. 

It  ought  to  be  remembered,  however,  that  what 
we  denominate  the  religious  sentiment  is  a  part  of 
the  human  constitution,  which  may  manifest  itself  in 
most  impressive  forms  without  any  connection  what- 
soever with  goodness,  virtue,  truth  or  holiness. 
Every  kind  of  superstition,  the  most  irrational,  dia- 
bolical, and  cruel,  is  a  manifestation  of  the  religious 


APPENDIX.  179 


sentiment.  It  is  as  really  a  part  of  every  man's  na- 
ture, whether  he  be  good  or  bad,  as  is  conscience, 
memory,  or  social  affection.  Nevertheless,  we  meet 
with  those  who,  looking  over  the  world,  and  seeing 
in  Pagan  lands  what  immense  treasures  are  lavished 
on  temples,  altars,  and  sacrifices,  will  say  "  these 
people  are  very  religious  and  very  sincere  ;  and  their 
worship,  therefore,  must  be  as  acceptable  to  God  as 
that  of  others  !"  Then,  surveying  the  state  of  tilings 
in  a  Mahometan  country,  and  seeing  the  Musselman's 
exact  observances,  they  tell  us,  "  these  people  are 
very  strict  and  sincere  religionists,  and,  doubtless, 
their  system  is  best  for  them  .'"  Then,  in  a  Catholic 
country,  like  Italy,  observing  the  multitude  of  priests 
and  worshippers,  the  regular  attendance  at  matins 
and  vespers,  the  confessions,  feasts,  fasts,  penances, 
and  prayers,  they  will  say,  "  these  people  exhibit  a 
very  sincere  devotion,  and  we  cannot  but  admire  the 
strength  of  their  religious  sentiment !''  Still  fur- 
ther, looking  at  a  community  in  which  a  simple  and 
evangelical  Christianity  gives  tone  to  pu])lic  charac- 
ter, they  will  gravely  say,  "  here  the' religious  senti- 
ment is  strongly  developed,  and  we  cannot  but  sym- 
pathise with  this  simplicity  and  earnestness  of  devo- 
tion." This  is  the  language  of  religious  eclecticism. 
It  confounds  things  that  differ  in  their  nature.  It 
attributes  dignity  to  a  religious  system  according  to 
the  degrees  of  energy  with  which  it  brings  out  the 
religious  sentiment  ;  whereas,  this  sentiment  often 
appears  the  strongest  in  the  worst  of  men  ;  as  was 
seen  in  the  case  of  an  Italian  bandit  who  was  hired 
by  Pope  Sextus  Fourth  to  murder  two  members  of 


180  APPENDIX. 


the  family  of  the  Medici  that  were  hostile  to  him. 
After  much  deliberation,  the  Cathedral  was  the  spot 
fixed  upon  for  the  assassination  to  be  effected,  amidst 
a  solemn  service  ;  on  which  account  the  robber  re- 
fused to  act  his  part,  saying,  that  although  he  was 
accustomed  to  commit  murder,  he  was  not  used  to 
sacrilege  /  Nevertheless,  a  priest  was  found  who 
consented  to  combine  both  crimes  in  a  single  act, 
for  the  pleasure  of  the  Pope  and  the  welfare  of  the 
church. 

This  view  of  the  character  which  pertains  to  the 
religious  sentiment,  was  expressed  by  Paul  in  his 
discourse  on  Mars  '  Hill  at  Athens.  From  the  place 
©f  his  observation  he  saw  the'whole  landscape  stud- 
ded with  temples,  statues,  and  altars,  with  fanes  ded- 
icated to  all  the  gods  whose  names  were  known,  and 
an  altar  to  the  God  that  was  unknown.  According 
to  the  English  version,  the  Apostle  commenced  his 
address  by  an  expression  not  remarkably  fitted  to 
conciliate  the  attention  of  his  fitful  audience,  charg- 
ing it  upon  them  as  a  national  folly  that  in  all  things 
they  were  *'  too  superstitious,"  and  citing  as  a  proof 
of  it,  the  erection  of  an  altar  to  that  God  whom  he 
desired  to  preach  to  them.  But,  as  Dr.  Campbell  has 
ably  shown,  what  Paul  really  said  was  to  this  intent 
— tliat  he  had  observed  the  Athenians  to  be  in  all 
things  a  very  religious  people.  He  remarked  that 
among  them  the  religious  sentiment  was  highly  cul- 
tivated. In  this  he  said  nothing  that  was  disparag- 
ing, neither  did  he  pay  them  any  compliment.  He 
merely  asserted  an  obvious  fact ;  for,  the  religious 
sentiment,  in  itself,  like  social  affection,  is  neither 


APPENDIX.  181 


good  or  bad,  except  according  to  the  direction  which 
is  given  to"  it.  '  It  may  be  so  perverted  as  to  foster 
all  that  is  low  and  wicked  in  our  fallen  nature, 
while,  under  the  guidance  of  a  renovated  heart  it 
may  fit  the  soul  for  the  companionships  of  heaven. 

But  this  religious  eclecticism,  which  "sees  good 
in  every  thing,"  which  aims  to  bring  virtue  and  vice, 
sin  and  holiness,  heaven  and  hell  together  into  one 
beautiful  system,  is  not  a  plant  which  our  "  Heaven- 
ly Father  had  planted,"  but  a  vine  of  Sodom,  full  of 
deadly  poison.  It  is  very  fashionable  in  some  quar- 
ters, pervades  all  the  Transcendental  literature,  is 
the  very  life  of  Parkerism,  and  imparts  its  hue  to 
much  that  is  distinctively  Cambridgian.  Its  spirit 
was  fairly  expressed  by  a  certain  picture-vender,  in 
whose  shop-window  appeared  a  colored  engraving 
of  the  celebrated  dancer,  Madame  Taglioni,  in  one 
of  her  most  meretricious  attitudes,  along-side  of  a 
likeness  of  Rev.  Dr.  Lyman  Beecher.  The  incon- 
gruity of  the  arrangement  being  noticed,  he  was  un- 
derstood to  say, 

"  0,  there  is  so  much  that  is  angelic,  almost  di- 
vine, in  Taglioni's  dancing — and  surely  there  is 
much  that  is  good  and  heavenly* in  Dr.  Beecher^s 
preaching  !" 

The  fact  deserves  record  ;  for  it  is  one  of  the 
"  signs  of  the  times,"  a  true  expression  of  the  spirit 
of  the  age  is  the  direction  of  "  eclecticism." 

In  our  view  it  is  a  matter  of  small  moment  to  ask, 
in  what  degree  a  system  develops  the  religious  sen- 
timent which  is  common  to  man  ;  but  it  is  a  matter 
of  vital  importance  to  ascertain  whether  that  senti- 


182  APPENDIX. 


ment  be  brought  under  the  control  of  a  renewed 
heart,  to  develop  itself  in  accordance  with  the  law 
of  truth  and  righteousness  as  set  forth  by  Jesus 
Christ  ;  whether  the  great  object  towards  which  it 
turns  the  affections  be  the  God  of  purity  and  love  ; 
whether  it  lead  a  man  to  worship  the  Sovereign  of 
all  in  acts  of  faith,  gratitude,  and  cheerful  obedience. 
This  is  the  great  question  touching  a  religious  sys- 
tem, whether  by  it  the  religious  sentiment  is  brought 
"  into  captivity  to  the  obedience  of  Christ.'*'  Other- 
wise, the  more  of  the  religious  element  there  is  in 
any  system  the  more  deleterious  it  is,  like  that  Is- 
raelitish  eclecticism,  under  whose  influence  "  the 
people  worshipped  the  Lord  and  served  their  own 
gods,"  sacrificed  lambs  and  offered  swine's  blood, 
killed  oxen  and  slew  men,  burned  incense  to  Jeho- 
vah and  invoked  the  idols  of  the  heathen. 


CHRISTIAN  GREATNESS 


IN    THE 


APOSTLE   ST.   PETER 


ST.    PETER. 

"  Its  apostles,  lowly  fishermen  I"  This  brief  sen- 
tence, from  the  lips  of  an  eminent  orator,  enfolds  an 
argument  for  Christianity,  by  bringing  to  view  an 
impressive  contrast  between  the  splendor  of  its  early 
triumphs  and  the  humble  means  employed  for  its 
propagation.  The  Christian  history  affords  no  finer 
realization  of  the  spirit  of  this  argument,  than  that 
which  is  -embodied  in  the  life  and  character  of  St. 
Peter.  Of  obscure  parentage,  a  Galilean  by  birth, 
bred  to  hard  manual  labor,  unknown  in  his  youth  to 
the  leaders  of  society,  destitute  of  every  scholarlike 
accomplishment,  it  has  been  his,  nevertheless,  fo  wield 
a  sceptre  of  moral  power  over  the  civilized  world  ; 
and,  having  achieved  a  sublime  mission,  to  leave 
among  men  a  name  which  still  dwells  on  the  lips  of 
millions  throughout  those  realms  whicli  once  owned 
the  dominion  of  the  Caesars,  but  where  the  names  of 
the  Caesars  are  now  recalled  only  by  the  mute  me- 
morials of  a  perished  empire. 

A  peculiar  and  well-marked  character  has  always 
distinguished  those  who  "  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships 
and  do  business  on  the  great  waters."  In  our  day 
they  are  known,  as  a  class,  by  a  certain  freedom  and 


186  St.  Peter. 


boldness  of  soul,  a  generosity  amounting  to  self-for- 
getfulness,  a  liiglily  sensitive  nature  having  in  it  a 
clash  of  the  poetic  element,  a  genial  enthusiasm  with 
a  tone  of  lofty  daring,  a  passionate  impetuosity, 
strangely  chastened  at  times  by  a  serious  spirit  and 
a  power  to  execute  the  most  sober  purposes.  The 
alternate  rest  and  stir,  the  tedium  and  excitement, 
the  tameness  and  sublimity  pertaining  to  the  scenes 
of  sea-life,  have  operated  on  men  in  every  age  with 
a  degree  of  uniformity  in  producing  this  style  of 
character,  of  which  Peter,  in  his  earlier  days,  ap- 
pears to  have  been  a  fair  representative.  All  the 
nobler  features  of  it  he  retained  to  the  last  ;  but  his 
Master's  discipline  so  effectually  raised  what  was 
low,  and  strengthened  what  vfas  weak,  that  he  be- 
came "  as  another  man."  A  hint  of  this  great  change 
to  be  wrought  in  him,  was  given  by  our  Saviour  on 
his  first  meeting  with  this  disciple  ;  for  he  said  to 
him,  "  Thou  shalt  be  called  Cephas,"  or  as  the 
Greek  express  it,  Peter — that  is  a  rock  :  intimating 
that  he  who  was  naturally  rash,  fitful  and  impulsive, 
should  become  a  man  of  adamantine  firmness,  of 
granite-like  strength,  able  to  sustain  the  weighty 
burdens  that  were  to  be  laid  upon  him,  and  to  resist 
the  shocks  of  a  hostile  world. 

Some  of  the  most  interesting  events  in  St.  Peter's 
history,  are  associated  with  "  the  sea  of  Tiberias." 
It  was  only  sixteen  miles  in  length,  and  four  in 
width  ;  yet  was  called  a  sea,  as  the  Jews,  denominat- 
ed any  large  collection  of  waters.  Indeed,  we  some- 
times do  so  ourselves  ;  as,  for  instance,  a  certain  ex- 
panse in  the  Hudson  river  is  called  "  Tappan  Sea." 


St.  Peter.  187 


The  original  name  of  tlie  lake  was  Chinnereth,  from 
a  city  on  its  banks  whicli  is  mentioned  in  the  Book 
of  Judges.  This  was  corrupted  into  Gennesaret. 
On  the  site  of  this  old  city,  Herod  built  a  new  one, 
which  he  named  Tiberias,  in  honor  of  the  Roman 
emperor  ;  and  this  new  city  gave  a  new  name  to  the 
lake,  as  we  are  reminded  by  the  use  of  the  phrase  in 
John's  gospel.  A  fine  sheet  of  water  is  always  a 
beautiful  addition  to  a  landscape  :  but  wlien  we  can 
connect  it  with  the  names  or  fortunes  of  those  whom 
we  delight  to  honor,  the  charms  of  the  scenery  are 
wonderfully  enhanced.  Then  memory  loves  to  lin- 
ger around  it ;  the  plains  or  mountains  that  encircle 
it  have  n^gw  beauty,  and  all  its  shores  are  sacred. 
Under  the  magic  spells,  which  such  associations  awak- 
en, must  the  disciples  have  indulged  many  a  retro- 
spect of  Gennesaret.  There  the  pious  fishermen, 
who  had  been  accustomed  to  live  upon  its  surface, 
had  been  called  by  the  Saviour  to  be  "  fishers  of 
men."  There  they  had  seen  marvellous  displays  of 
their  Master's  power.  There,  in  the  sunshine  and 
in  the  storm,  in  the  soft  moonlight  and  in  the  dark 
night-tempest,  they  had  communed  with  Nature  in 
her  varied  aspects  of  grandeur  and  of  loveliness  ; 
but,  more  than  all,  there  they  had  seen  their  Lord 
walk  upon  the  deep  as  if  it  had  been  a  marble  pave- 
ment, and  when  he  said  to  the  rough  surges,  "  Be 
still !"  all  were  hushed  to  peace.  There  Peter  had 
received  his  call  to  leave  the  employments  of  his 
youth,  and  to  enter  the  school  which  was  to  fit  him 
for  his  apostleship.  It  was  on  that  occasion  that 
the  disciple,  awe-struck  by  a  view  of  Christ's  divine 


188  St.  Peter. 


majesty,  revealed  as  it  had  been  in  the  miraculous 
draught  of  fishes,  fell  trembling  at  his  feet,  exclaim- 
ing :  "  Depart  from  me,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  0 
Lord  !"  At  once,  the  calm  voice  of  Jesus  soothed 
the  agitation  of  Peter's  spirit,  and  inspired  him  with 
a  holy  confidence  as  it  announced  the  exalted  mis- 
sion which  he  was  destined  to  fulfil. 

If  the  genius  of  a  Salvator  Rosa,  so  much  at  home 
upon  the  sea,  were  employed  in  placing  on  the  can- 
vas, scenes  in  the  life  of  Peter,  with  what  power 
would  it  set  before  us  the  contrast  between  the  atti- 
tude of  the  trembling  disciple  while  prostrate  on  the 
shore,  and  that  bolder  one  in  which  he  afterwards 
appeared,  when,  with  unshrinking  step  he  trod  the 
threatening  billows,  that  there  he  might  greet  and 
adore  his  Master !  It  was  night.  The  storm  was 
on  the  deep.  "  The  ship  was  tossed  with  the  waves." 
The  skill  and  strength  of  the  Galilean  crew  were  not 
an  equal  match  for  the  raging  elements.  The  ter- 
rors of  the  hour  would  naturally  awaken  a  feeling 
of  wonder  that  their  Lord  should  have  ''  constrained" 
them  to  embark  on  an  errand  to  which  the  powers 
of  heaven  seemed  so  adverse.  Confidence  and  hope 
were  fast  dying  away  ;  a  sense  of  loneliness  had  al- 
ready given  place  to  a  mental  gloom  more  terrible 
than  the  roar  of  the  tempest,  when,  dimly  in  the  dis- 
tance, a  human  form  was  seen  moving  at  ease  upon 
the  agitated  waters.  It  came  nearer  ;  it  was  clearly 
discerned  by  all  ;  one  thought  flashed  on  every  mind, 
and  that  thought  was,  "This  cannot  be  flesh  and 
blood."  A  solemn  dread,  which  is  common  to  men 
when  confronted  in  any  way  with  the  supernatural, 


St.  Peter.  189 


took  full  possession  of  every  breast  ;  and  doubtless, 
it  was  with  tremulous  to^es  that  they  said  one  to 
another,  "  It  is  a  pliantom."  Tlicre  they  stood  gaz- 
ing on  that  strange  sight,  each  realizing  in  himself 
the  words  of  the  ancient  Temanite — "  In  thoughts 
from  the  visions  of  the  night  fear  came  upon  me,  and 
trembling,  which  made  all  my  bones  to  shake  ;  then 
a  spirit  passed  before  my  face  ;  the  hair  of  my  flesh 
stood  up  ;  and  I  heard  a  voice."  But  the  voice 
which  they  heard  was  of  no  unearthly  sound.  Calm- 
ly, sweetly,  and  in  tones  familiar  to  their  ears,  it  ad- 
dressed to  them  a  message,  such  as  stormy  winds  had 
never  wafted  before  :  "  It  is  I,  be  not  afraid."  The 
heart  of  Peter  answered  to  that  appeal  ;  for,  what  a 
sublime  faith  was  that  which  filled  his  soul,  when, 
rising  superior  to  all  mortal  weakness,  or  mortal 
strength,  he  sought  permission  to  hasten  and  meet 
Jesus,  while  yet  he  lingered  on  the  swelling  surge  ! 
He  asked  for  no  promise,  no  pledge  of  help  ;  but 
when  Christ  bade  him  "  come,"  with  what  buoyant 
energy  he  stepped  from  the  quivering  plank  upon  the 
forbidding  wave  !  What  a  moment  of  triumph  was 
that !  Not  Moses  himself,  when  he  stretched  his 
mystic  rod  over  the  Red  Sea  ;  not  Elijah,  when  from 
the  top  of  Carmel  he  called  fire  from  heaven  to  at- 
test his  mission,  can  be  said  to  have  taken  firmer 
hold  on  the  arm  of  Omnipotence,  or  to  have  exerted 
a  more  kingly  sway  over  the  powers  of  nature.  In 
the  picture-language  of  ancient  Egypt,  a  pair  of  feet 
walking  on  the  water  was  the  emblem  of  an  impos- 
sibility ;  and  the  scene  of  this  eventful  night  must 
have  interpreted  to  the  mind  of  Peter  the  sense  and 


190  St.  Peter. 


scope  of  that  remarkable  promise — "  Nothing  shall 
be  impossible  to  you."      » 

In  surveying  human  character,  we  find  no  feature 
of  it  that  calls  forth  from  every  beholder  an  admira- 
tion more  profound  than  that  high-souled  "  decision," 
which  John  Foster  has  so  nicety  analyzed,  and  so 
beautifully  developed  in  one  of  his  immortal  essays. 
When  it  appears  on  great  occasions,  even  in  a  bad 
or  doubtful  cause,  and  on  a  conspicuous  theatre  of 
action,  it  wins  universal  applause  ;  but  when,  apart 
from  the  gaze  of  men,  it  rises  superior  to  the  pre- 
judices of  education,  to  popular  opinion,  to  worldly 
ambition,  allies  one's  fortunes  with  those  of  truth 
alone,  and  then  comes  forth  to  brave  obloquy,  scorn, 
and  death  itself  at  the  bidding  of  conscience,  it  ex- 
hibits the  highest  degree  of  moral  sublimity.  Espe- 
cially is  it  so,  when  the  enduring  courage  which 
pertains  to  decision  of  character  is  not  pre-eminently 
the  gift  of  nature,  but  is  seen  to  spring  from  moral 
causes,  and  to  inhale  its  life  from  the  realm  of  spir- 
itual truth  where  faith  expatiates  as  in  a  congenial 
element.  In  such  an  aspect  of  true  dignity  does 
Peter  appear  before  us  when  Ife  boldly  avows  his 
belief  in  the  Divine  mission  of  our  Savioilr.  Having 
been  called  upon  by  his  Master  to  state  what  was 
the  public  sentiment  touching  this  point,  he  declared 
that  it  regarded  Jesus  in  no  higher  view  than  that 
of  an  ancient  prophet  revisiting  the  world  :  then, 
being  questioned  as  to  his  own  belief,  he  expressed 
his  calm  conviction  that  the  man  of  Nazareth  was 
God's  promised  Messiah.  That  moment  was  a  great 
era  of  his  life.     In  this  fearless  confession  Jesus  re- 


St.  Peter.  191 


cognized  the  spirit  tliat  could  "  bear  all  things,"  that 
could  stem  the  current  gf  popular  error,  wrestle 
against  principalities  and  powers,  and  "  endure  unto 
the  end."  Then,  with  a  remarkable  force  of  expres- 
sion, did  he  pronounce  his  disciple  "  blessed,"  con- 
iirmed  him  in  his  apostlesliip,  and  gave  to  him  a 
clearer  revelation  than  had  before  been  made  of  the 
exalted  ministry  to  which  he  had  been  chosen. 

No  one  who  considers  the  temperament  of  Peter, 
what  brilliant  hopes  of  an  honored  and  successful 
apostleship  had  been  awakened  within  him,  can  be 
surprised  at  the  signs  of  worldly  ambition  which  he 
sometimes  betrayed,  and  for  which  he  received  the 
most  keen  reproofs.  He  had  been  taught  to  believe 
that  the  Messiah's  kingdom  would  shortly  come  ; 
but  as  to  the  nature  of  that  kingdom,  and  the  char- 
acter of  its  triumphs,  his  views  were  very  dim.  The 
glowing  imagery  of  the  ancient  prophets  he  had  un- 
derstood somewhat  literally  ;  and  the  announcement 
that  his  Lord  should  be  crucified  as  a  malefactor 
jarred  so  harshly  against  the  tenor  of  his  expecta- 
tions, that  he  regarded  it,  probably,  as  a  figurative 
expression.  The  predictions  of  his  Master,  on  this 
point,  he  never  understood  until  the  facts  ultimately 
explained  them.  How  hard  must  it  have  been  for  him 
educated  as  a  Jew  to  look  for  th^t  "  anointed  kins'  " 

o 

who  was  destined  to  restore  the  throne  of  David  to 
more  than  its  former  splendor,  to  construe  aright 
any  intimation  that  the  throne  of  the  true  Messiah 
was  to  be  a  cross,  and  that  a  wreath  of  thorns  was 
to  be  his  diadem  !  No  wonder  is  it  that,  with  his 
views,  he  even  "  began  to  rebuke  "  his  Lord  for  hint- 


192  St.  Peter. 


ing  at  a  fate  so  mysterious.  After  he  had  visited 
the  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  where  Moses  and 
Elias  had  come  to  confer  with  Jesus,  where,  instead 
of  a  frail  tabernacle  of  flesh,  a  celestial  glory  had 
invested  him,  where  a  voice  like  the  voice  of  the  Al- 
mighty had  uttered  the  testimony,  "  This  is  my  be- 
loved Son,''  no  wonder  is  it,  that  the  disciple  should 
be  questioning  to  the  very  last,  even  on  the  final 
journey  to  Jerusalem,  "  what  the  rising  from  the 
dead  should  mean."  Neither  is  it  any  wonder,  if 
we  study  the  character  of  Peter  by  the  light  of  his 
previous  history,  that  when  he  found  all  his  bright 
imaginings  dispelled  in  an  instant,  when  he  saw  his 
Master  captured  by  his  foes,  dragged  to  the  high- 
priest's  palace,  and  treated  with  scorn  as  a  weak  im- 
postor, by  a  triumphant  government,  when  he  found 
that  his  own  sword,  instead  of  being  made  omnipo- 
tent for  defence  like  a  blade  "  bathed  in  heaven,"  had 
been  bidden  back  to  its  sheath — no  wonder  is  it,  we 
say,  that  he  sliould  have  become  as  another  man  ; 
that  his  courage,  which  had  been  nourislied  by  false 
conceptions,  should  have  abandoned  him  ;  that  his 
reason  should  have  fled,  like  a  pilot  swept  from  the 
helm  by  a  resistless  wave,  and  that  he  who  had  just 
defied  all  the  powers  of  earth  to  move  him  from  his 
loyalty,  should  ha\^  reeled  from  his  giddy  elevation 
into  an  abyss  of  hopeless  despondency.  The  fall  of 
Peter  is  an  event  well  adapted  to  instruct  mankind 
in  every  age,  but  not  to  excite  that  feeling  of  won- 
der which  springs  from  the  contemplation  of  a  nfys- 
tery. 

The  "  long-deferred    hope  "  of  Peter,  that  Jesus 


St.  Peter.  193 


would  triumph  over  death  bj  baffliug  his  enemies, 
or  by  causing  them  to  quail  before  some  word  of 
power,  like  that  beneath  whose  blasting  energy  he 
had  seen  the  fig-tree  wither  away,  probably  inspired 
him  with  enough  of  curiosity  and  courage,  in  spite 
of  his  unhappy  mood  of  mind,  to  linger  around  the 
high-priest's  hall  of  judgment,  in  order  to  witness 
the  scenes  of  the  trial  which  was  fast  hastening  to 
some  fearful  issue.  He  would  fain  have  kept  him- 
self apart  from  the  throng,  that  he  might  avoid  the 
peril  of  being  recognized.  The  exhaustion  which 
had  caused  him  to  sleep  amid  the  chills  of  the  night 
in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane,  had  now  brought  on 
that  sense  of  cold  which  led  him  to  approach  the 
fire  of  coals  which  the  officers  had  kindled  on  the 
pavement  of  the  court.  A  gleam  of  light  fell  on  his 
anxious  features  ;  and,  at  once,  a  maid  of  the  palace, 
whose  quick  eye  caught  their  expression,  charged 
him  with  the  crime  of  discipleship.  One  thought 
now  engrossed  his  soul ;  that  thought-  was  conceal- 
ment ;  and,  in  obedience  to  it,  the  lie  by  which  he 
denied  the  charge  leaped  from  his  lips  as  quickly  as 
the  sword  had  leaped  from  its  scabbard  in  the  gar- 
den. More  ill  at  ease  than  ever,  he  walked  out  into 
the  porch,  where  another  maid  appealed  to  the  men 
around  him  with  the  exclamation,  "  This  fellow,  also, 
was  with  Jesus  of  Nazareth  ;"  and,  doubtless,  for  a 
moment,  he  supposed  that  he  had  quelled  all  sus- 
picion after  he  had  backed  his  denial  by  his  oath. 
But  when  the  high-priest's  servant,  whom  Peter  had 
struck,  recognized  his  assailant  with  the  cry,  ''  Did  I 
not  see  thee  in  the  garden  with  him  V — when  the 


194  St.  Peter. 


attending  officers  took  note  of  his  Galilean  accent 
with  the  taunt,  "  Thy  speech  bewrayetli  thee,"  his 
chafed  spirit  rose  to  cope  with  the  emergency,  and 
driving  back  his  accusers  with  denials,  oaths,  and 
curses,  he  broke  away  from  the  perils  that  lurked 
around  that  ill-fated  spot. 

To  the  group  who  witnessed  his  style  of  action, 
Peter  must  have  appeared  as  a  brave  and  determined 
man.  Had  he  been  a  hypocrite,  a  mere  worldling, 
like  Judas,  he  would  have  plumed  himself  on  his 
daring  and  his  success.  He  would  have  justified  his 
conduct  by  the  law  of  necessity,  and  solitude  would 
have  been  less  painful  to  him.  But  when  alone,  he 
came  to  himself.  The  shrill  cock-crow  which  hailed 
the  morning's  light  fell  upon  his  ear,  and  "  opened 
all  the  cells  where  memory  slept.''  His  eye  had 
met  his  Master's  glance,  and  that  had  moved  the 
deepest  springs  of  sensibility  within  him.  He  went 
out,  he  shrunk  from  the  sight  of  friends  as  well  as 
foes  ;  he  writhed  in  the  agonies  of  self-rebuke,  and, 
by  himself,  "  wept  bitterly." 

After  the  record  of  this  event  the  allusions  to 
Peter  in  the  New  Testament  arc  very  brief,  until  he 
is  brought  to  our  view  again  at  the  Sea  of  Tiberias. 
Having  become  assured,  while  in  Jerusalem,  of  the 
resurrection  of  Christ,  he  returned  to  Galilee  ;  the 
other  apostles  accompanied  him,  and  were  assembled 
at  his  house  in  Capernaum.  For  purposes  of  hospi- 
tality, in  order,  probably,  to  procure  the  means  of 
entertaining  his  brethren,  he  excused  his  absence 
one  evening,  by  saying  '•  I  go  a  fishing."  With 
hearts  all  sympathy,  they  replied,  ''  We  also  go  with 


St.  Peter.  *195 


thee."  So,  as  the  darkness  and  stillness  of  the  night 
favored  their  design,  they  seek  the  lake  instead  of 
their  beds.  Bred  to  their  business  from  early  youth, 
they  were,  no  doubt,  expert  fishers  ;  but  now  they 
labored  in  vain.  The  night  wore  heavily  away.  In 
the  gray  dawn  of  the  morning,  they  observed  a 
stranger  standing  on  the  .shore.  He  hailed  them 
with  a  friendly  voice,  saying,  "  My  sons,  have  ye 
any  thing  to  eat  ?"  They  answered,  "  No  ;  we  have 
toiled  all  the  night,  and  have  caught  nothing."  He 
encouraged  them  to  try  again  ;  "Cast  the  net  on 
the  right  side  of  the  ship,  and  ye  shall  find."  They 
did  as  they  were  bidden,  and  at  once  the  net  was 
full.  This  eifect  of  the  stranger's  advice  revealed 
his  character.  "  The  beloved  disciple  "  was  the  first 
to  discover  it.  Love  is  eagle-eyed,  and  the  heart 
often  gives  a  hint  to  the  head.  In  this  discovery, 
John  "outran  Peter;"  for  John  was  more  calm, 
collected,  and  discerning.  But  as  soon  as  that  short 
sentence,  "  It  is  the  Lord,"  fell  on  Peter's  ear,  he 
was  all  zeal,  all  himself  again.  That  one  fact  tilled 
and  fired  his  heart ;  and  forgetting  all  danger,  the 
net  of  fishes  and  the  need  of  his  assistance,  he  thought 
only  of  being  at  his  Master's  feet.  Girding  on  his 
outer  garment,  he  plunged  into  the  sea,  hastening  to 
meet  Him  whom  he  adored. 

On  that  shore,  a  breakfast  had  been  provided  for 
the  company  ;  and  this  social  repast  became  an  era 
in  Peter's  history.  In  the  presence  of  his  brethren 
our  Lord  now  turned  to  the  fallen  apostle — to  him 
who  had  said  in  their  hearing,  "  though  all  men  for- 
sake thee,  vet  will  I  never  forsake  tiiee  "^ — and  asked 


196"  St.  Peter. 


of  him,  "  Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me  more 
than  these  ?"  That  was  a  searching  question.  Peter 
felt  it.  He  knew  its  meaning.  He  remembered  his 
frailty.  He  could  boast  no  more.  But  he  was  con- 
scious of  an  honest  love.  And,  aware  that  Christ's 
piercing  eye  was  on  him,  he  durst  boldly  avow  it. 
But  he  could  go  no  further.  He  could  draw  no 
comparisons.  He  could  not  glory  over  his  fellow- 
disciples.  He  was  humbled,  yet  strengthened.  He 
only  answered,  "  Yea,  Lord,  thou  knowest  that  I 
love  thee.''  That  was  enough.  His  tone  and  manner 
were  beautifully  chastened,  and  the  delicate  inquiry 
involving  a  comparison  with  others  was  not  repeated. 
On  receiving  this  reply,  Christ  immediately  raised 
Peter  from  the  degradation  of  his  fall,  confirmed  him 
in  the  apostleship,  and  renewed  his  commission. 

But  where  Peter's  sin  abounded,  "  grace  much 
more  abounded  ;"  and,  as  Peter  had  thrice  denied 
his  Master,  when  Christ  forgave  him  he  intended  to 
confer  on  him  a  threefold  confirmation  in  his  sacred 
ofi&ce.  Hence  he  demanded  of  him,  a  second  and  a 
third  time,  an  avowal  of  his  love.  This  threefold 
repetition  awakened  in  Peter's  mind  sad  reminis- 
cences, opened  afresh  the  fountains  of  penitential 
grief,  and  drew  forth  from  him  an  appeal  to  Jesus, 
as  the  searcher  of  all  hearts,  for  a  recognition  of  his 
sincerity.  Thrice  he  received  from  his  injured  Lord 
a  special  apostolic  charge  ;  and  now,  reinstated  in 
the  sight  of  all  his  brethren,  he  could  sing,  "  Thou 
hast  restored  unto  me  the  joy  of  thy  salvation,  and 
hast  upheld  me  with  thy  free  Spirit ;  therefore  will 
I  teach  trangressors  thy  ways,  and  sinners  shall  be 


St.  Peter.  197 


converted  unto  thee."  From  that  hour  onward,  to 
the  close  of  his  career,  he  rose  superior  to  the  weak- 
nesses of  his  nature,  betrayed  no  more  the  fitful 
impulses  of  his  early  character,  and  nobly  sustained 
the  dignity  of  his  Christian  name.  His  quick  and 
fiery  temper  was  disciplined  to  a  rock-like  firmness 
under  his  Master's  hand,  and  he  became  as  a  mighty 
lion  tamed  to  the  harness. 

After  the  apostles  had  witnessed  the  ascension  of 
our  Lord  from  Mount  Olivet,  they  returned  to  Jeru- 
salem, and  were  assembled  for  many  successive  days 
in  that  "  upper  room  "  which  had  already  been  con- 
secrated as  their  place  of  worship.  From  that  time, 
Peter  appears  as  their  chosen  leader.  Although  he 
was  never  clothed  with  a  formal  or  ofiicial  supre- 
macy, he  was  well  fitted  for  a  leadership,  which  all 
freely  conceded  to  him.  At  his  suggestion,  a  new 
apostle  was  elected  to  fill  the  place  of  Judas.  At 
the  great  festival  of  Pentecost,  when  men  of  all 
nations  were  convened  at  the  Jewish  metropolis,  the 
college  of  apostles  were  gathered  around  Peter  while 
he  proclaimed  the  truths  of  Christianity.  Under 
the  influences  which  attended  his  first  discourse, 
three  thousand  converts  were  added  to  the  church. 
Not  only  did  he  stand  forth  in  the  public  view  as 
the  counsellor  of  his  brethren,  the  expounder  of  their 
doctrines  in  the  temple  and  the  synagogue,  but  as 
their  orator  and  advocate  in  halls  of  judgment. 
The  transformation  of  character  in  him  and  in  them, 
was  wonderful.  Jesus  had  said  to  them,  "  Behold, 
1  send  you  forth  as  sheep  among  wolves  ;"  and,  if 
at  any  time  in  field  or  forest  we  should  see  a  harm- 


198  St.  Peter. 


less  sheep  confront  the  ravening  wolf,  it  would  not 
be  a  spectacle  more  strange  than  that  which  was 
seen  in  Jerusalem,  when  the  men  who  had  fled  terror- 
stricken  from  their  Master's  side,  stood  serenely 
forth  in  Sanhedrim  and  courts  to  speak  in  his  name, 
to  vindicate  his  doctrines,  and  to  enforce  his  pre- 
cepts. If  the  modern  reader  would  receive  a  true 
impression  of  the  sublimity  of  those  scenes,  let  him 
imagine  a  poor  Castilian  peasant  summoned  to  the 
gloomy  court  of  the  Spanish  Inquisition  ;  not  turn- 
ing pale  with  fear,  but  standing  there  with  a  calm, 
undaunted  aspect,  and  speaking  forth  words  of  truth 
with  the  simplicity  of  a  child,  the  energy  of  a  prophet, 
and  the  noble  bearing  of  a  martyr. 

When  we  consider  the  apostolic  eminence  of  Peter, 
the  moral  grandeur  of  his  position,  the  unsullied 
character  which  he  exhibited,  the  dignity  of  his 
public  life,  we  are  tempted  to  wish  that  the  sacred 
history  had  shed  a  clearer  light  on  the  closing  period 
of  his  earthly  course.  We  know  not  the  time  or 
manner  of  his  death.  His  epistles  indicate  that  he 
lived  to  an  advanced  age.  The  learned  and  diligent 
Michaelis  has  shown  good  reason  to  believe,  that  he 
wrote  them  from  the  Chaldean  Babylon,  and  that 
there,  amid  the  scenes  around  vrhich  clustered  hal- 
lowed memories  of  Ezekiel  and  Daniel,  he  spent  the 
last  days  of  his  apostleship.  The  renowned  temple 
in  Eome,  which  bears  his  name,  is  said  by  some  to 
have  been  built  on  the  site  of  his  tomb.  There  is 
BO  proof,  however,  that  his  mortal  remains  were 
ever  laid  in  a  Roman  sepulchre ;  but  we  are  rather 
led  to  the  conclusion  that  He  who  caused  the  body 


St.  Peter.  199 


of  Moses  to  be  hidden  from  the  Israelites,  permitted 
also  the  body  of  the  Apostle  to  rest  in  some  quiet 
seclusion,  that  none  might  be  tempted  to  offer  his 
saintly  relics  the  incense  of  an  idolatrous  worship. 
From  his  home  in  the  far  East,  he  sent  his  last 
epistle  to  the  ^reat  Christian  family,  declaring  to 
them  that  his  Lord  had  sho^rn  him  that  he  "  must 
shortly  put  off  this  tabernacle."  That  tabernacle 
has  long  since  mingled  with  its  kindred  dust ;  but 
his  works  survive  it,  his  name  is  still  fragrant,  his 
recorded  words  are  living  oracles,  and  as  an  inspired 
apostle,  "  having  authority,"  he  still  sits  on  his  throne 
judging  the  tribes  of  Israel. 


CHRISTIAN  GREATNESS 


IN 


THE  MISSIONARY. 


CHRISTIAN  GREATNESS 


THE    MISSIONARY. 


ACTS  XIII.  36. 

"  For  David,  after  he  had  served  his  own  generation  by  the  will  of  God,  fell  on 
sleep." 

Fathers  and  Brethren  of  the  Missionary  Union  : 
The  year  that  has  passed  since  we  were  last  as- 
sembled has  been  marked  by  two  events,  to  eacli 
of  which  belongs  the  dignity  of  an  historical  era. 
One  of  these  events  is  the  completion  of  the  lialf 
century.  While  now,  as  from  a  "  mount  of  vision," 
we  look  back  upon  the  scenes  which  it  has  un- 
folded, we  hail  with  joy  new  proofs  of  the  fulfill- 
ment of  those  promises  which  woke  the  lyres  of 
ancient  prophets,  and  catch  new  glimpses  of  a  pro- 
found plan  for  the  redemption  of  our  fallen  race 
which  the  Almighty  is  urging  forward  to  a  glorious 
consummation,  l^ever  before,  within  as  brief  a 
period,  has  man  acquired  so  great  a  power  over  the 


204  Cheistian  Greatness 

elements  of  material  nature;  never  before  have 
those  great  truths,  which  are  the  germs  of  auspi- 
cious changes  in  society  and  government,  been  so 
widely  spread  among  civilized  nations  ;  and  never 
before  has  Christianity  gained  such  substantial  con- 
quests in  those  vast  Eastern  realms  where  the  su- 
perstitions of  Boodh  and  Brahma  have  brooded,  for 
so  many  centuries,  over  the  minds  of  benighted 
millions. 

It  was  a  law  of  ancient  Israel,  that  every  fiftieth 
year  should  be  hallow^ed  as  a  jubilee;  and  surely 
the  Christian.  Israel  has  never  had  more  fitting  oc- 
casion than  that  which  is  furnished  by  the  present 
time,  to  lift  up  the  song  of  triumph  and  of  hope. 
At  the  opening  of  this  period,  a  '^darkness  that 
might  be  felt"  covered  the  face  of  Europe ;  the 
moral  earthquake,  which  convulsed  France  to  its 
centre,  vibrated  throughout  Christendom ;  the  old 
world  was  rocking  on  its  foundations,  and  the 
wisest  of  statesmen,  philosophers,  and  philanthro- 
pists despaired  of  the  fortunes  of  the  race.  But 
amid  those  scenes  of  portentous  gloom,  the  Scrip- 
ture was  verified  which  saith,  "Light  is  sown  for 
the  righteous  ;"  the  spirit  of  missionary  heroism 
was  then  kindled  afresh,  as  with  the  breath  of  the 
Almighty ;  the  churches  of  Christ  were  then  rally- 
ing for  a  concerted  onset  against  the  powers  of 
darkness  in  those  lands  Tvhere  their  sway  had  been 
undisputed ;  the  small  beginnings  that  were  the 
jeer  and  mock  of  worldly  wisdom  have  thriven 
into  an  enterprise  which  has  won  the  homage  of 
the  world  ;  a  deep  presentiment  of  defeat  has  struck 


In  the  Missionary.  205 


through  the  heart  of  heathenism,  and  the  Chris- 
tians of  Europe  and  America  call  to  each  other  in 
joyous  songs,  that  celebrate  the  spreading  victories 
of  the  Cross, 

The  other  event  to  which  we  have  referred  is  the 
death  of  that  distinguished  leader  of  the  missionary 
enterprise,    Adoniram    Judson,    whose    eyes   were 
closed  upon  the  scenes  of  earth  on  April  12th,  1850, 
while  on  a  voyage  to  the  Isle  of  Bourbon,  and  whose 
mortal  remains  were   then  consigned  by  friendly 
hands  to  an  ocean  grave.     The  narrative  of  his  ca- 
reer forms  an  important  part  of  the  early  history  of 
the  nineteenth  century.     His  life  and  fortunes  are 
identified  with  the  rise  and  progress  of  American 
Christian   missions.     To  him  may  be  applied  the 
words  of  God  respecting  the  patriarch  Abraham  : 
"I  called  him  alone,  and   blessed  and  increased 
him."     As  soon  as  he  had  welcomed  to  his  heart 
the  quickening  hopes  which  Christianity  inspires, 
he  desired  to  impart  them  to  the  perishing  heathen  ; 
his  desires  were  soon  ripened   into  a  heroic  pur- 
pose ;  and,  having  been  blessed  with  talents  emi- 
nently practical,  he  immediately  concerted  measures 
for  carrying  that  purpose  into  effect.     The  prose- 
cution of  those  measures  was  steadily  carried  for- 
ward  through  forty  successive  years  ;    and   then, 
having  "  served  his  generation  by  the  will  of  God, 
he  fell  on  sleep."     His  works  live  after  him.     Efe 
has  left  a  fragrant  name,  and  his  biography  is  to  us 
a   priceless  heritage.     His  life  is  an  epoch  from 
which  a  new  missionary  era  is  to  be  reckoned. 
Eighteen  centuries  ago,  when  the  Apostle  of  the 


206  Christian  Geeatkess 


Gentiles,  having  heard  the  imploring  cry  of  the 
Macedonian  suppliant,  "  Come  and  help  us,"  em- 
barked from  the  shore  of  Troas  to  obey  that  call  of 
Heaven,  if  a  Livy  or  a  Yirgil,  just  arrived  from  the 
court  of  Augustus,  had  gazed  on  the  vessel  as  she 
spread  her  sails  to  cross  the  ^gean  sea,  neither  of 
them  would  have  seen  in  the  fact  before  him  any 
thing  worthy  of  commemoration  in  history  or  in 
song,  although  we,  vv^ho  survey  the  past  at  a  glance, 
can  see,  in  that  event,  Christianity  passing  over 
from  Asia  to  Europe ;  so,  doubtless,  when  our  own 
Judson  first  left  these  shores  on  a  missionary  er- 
rand, his  embarkation  suggested  nothing  to  the 
worldly  poet  or  historian  deserving  of  special  note, 
but  to  our  retrospective  view  it  exhibits  a  glorious 
fact  in  human  history — Christianity  going  forth 
from  her  asylum  in  the  new  world,  to  react  with 
renovating  energy  on  the  old.  Yes;  we  see  that 
Christianity,  which  has  here  turned  the  wilderness 
into  a  garden,  looking  back  to  the  continent  whence 
she  sprang,  and  moving  forth  to  repair  the  ancient 
wastes,  to  cause  the  desolations  of  Asia  to  rejoice 
in  the  bL  om  and  freshness  of  a  new  spiritual  life 
from  on  high. 

Among  the  means  of  instruction  which  the 
Divine  Spirit  has  employed  in  the  sacred  Scrip- 
tures, biography  holds  an  important  place.  Of 
true  history  it  has  been  well  said,  it  is  "  the  biog- 
raphy of  nations.  There  are,  too,  distinguished 
men,  whose  memoirs  embody  the  life  and  spirit 
of  a  whole  people,  or  of  a  particular  period.  Biog- 
raphies of  great  men   may  be  divided  into    two 


In  thk  Missionary.  207 

classes  :  the  first  embracing  those  who  truly  repre- 
sent the  spirit  of  their  age ;  the  second  comprising 
only  those  who  struggle  for  the  triumph  of  truth 
against  their  age.  To  the  first  class  belong  the 
biographies  of  such  men  as  Peter  the  Hermit  or 
St.  Bernard,  at  whose  beck  nations  rallied  to  en- 
gage in  crusading  wars ;  the  biography  of  N'apo- 
leon,  the  representative  of  martial  genius  and  the 
idol  of  millions;  the  life  of  Thomas  Jeff'erson, 
whose  words  and  deeds  embodied  the  prevailing 
spirit  of  American  democracy.  In  the  second  class 
of  biographies,  we  may  properly  place  that  of  John 
de  Wyclifi'e,  whose  course  on  earth  was  a  contest 
for  one  momentous  truth — the  supremacy  of  God's 
Word  as  the  standard  of  faith  ;  that  of  Luther,  and 
of  Melancthon,  who  struggled  for  the  great  doc- 
trine of  justification  by  a  living  faith,  instead  of 
dead  ceremonies ;  that  of  Koger  Williams,  whose 
commonwealth  embodied  the  clear  conception  of 
the  universal  right  of  man  to  religious  liberty,  as 
an  essential  element  of  Christianity.  This  latter 
class  of  men  do  not  represent  the  spirit  of  their 
age  or  the  opinions  of  a  people ;  they  are  prophets 
of  the  future ;  they  represent  ideas  which,  strug- 
gling for  mastery,  become  the  property  of  succeed- 
ing times.  They  identify  their  fortunes  with  the 
success  of  a  principle ;  they  enshrine  in  their  hearts 
some  great  truth,  unwelcome  to  their  generation, 
and  feel  themselves  impelled  to  go  forth  as  its  her- 
alds, to  conquer  as  its  champions,  or  die  as  its 
martyrs.  Among  the  men  of  this  high  order,  as 
far  as  the  elements  of  character  are   concerned, 


208  Christian  Greatness 


Adoniram  Judson  holds  a  distinguished  place,  al- 
though he  was  permitted  by  the  benignity  of  Provi- 
dence to  share  the  fortunes  of  the  former  class.  In 
the  very  prime  of  his  manhood  he  became  a  be- 
liever in  Christ ;  and  then,  looking  abroad  over  the 
face  of  the  earth,  his  thoughts  were  engrossed  by 
this  one  appalling  fact,  that  the  majority  of  his 
species  were  groping  amid  the  gloom  of  paganism. 
In  connection  with  this  fact  he  meditated  deeply 
on  that  last  command  of  his  risen  Lord  which 
made  the  evangelization  of  the  human  race  the 
great  life-work  of  his  disciples.  At  once  the  path 
of  duty  shone  clearly  before  him.  To  him  the  writ- 
ten mandate  was  a  call  from  Heaven,  and  his  an- 
swer to  it  was  as  devout  and  prompt  as  was  that 
of  the  converted  Saul  to  the  voice  which  addressed 
him  from  the  skies.  I^o  angel's  message,  no  vision 
of  the  night,  no  new  revelation  was  needed  to  mark 
out  his  course  ;  the  wants  of  humanity  moved  his 
sympathies  ;  the  Great  Commission  gained  the 
homage  of  his  conscience  ;  and  although  the  drift 
of  public  sentiment,  the  prevailing  opinions  of  the 
Church,  and  the  counsels  of  human  wisdom  sup- 
plied no  genial  encouragement,  it  was  enough  for 
him  to  know  that  he  was  treading  in  the  footsteps 
of  inspired  apostles,  and  walking  in  the  light  that 
beamed  from  the  oracles  of  God. 

And  now,  we  who  are  assembled  here,  who  have 
been  accustomed  from  year  to  year  to  observe  his 
doings,  to  sympathize  with  his  hopes  and  fears,  to 
pray  for  his  success,  have  met  as  mourners  at  his 
funeral.     We  say  one  to  another,  "  A  great  man  is 


In  the  Missionary.  209 


fallen  in  Israel."  Although  he  lived  far  from  us, 
he  was  knit  to  our  hearts  by  subtile  ties  far  stronger 
than  those  of  family  or  kindred  ;  although  Burmah 
was  the  land  of  his  adoption,  we  felt  that,  as  by  a 
spiritual  presence,  he  lived  among  us — that  his 
form  and  countenance  were  as  familiar  to  our 
thoughts  as  if  he  had  belonged  to  our  own  house- 
hold circle.  Nevertheless,  our  sorrow  for  his  loss 
is  tempered  and  elevated  by  the  joy  that  springs 
from  remembering  what  great  things  he  lived  to 
accomplish  ;  so  that,  instead  of  calling  for  a  solemn 
and  plaintive  dirge  to  express  the  emotions  a'vak- 
ened  by  this  occasion,  we  would  rather  unite  in  a 
song  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  for  the  guardian 
Providence  that  so  long  watched  over  him  for  the 
extraordinary  gifts  with  which  the  Divine  Spirit 
enriched  him,  "  for  the  good-will  of  Him  that 
dwelt  in  the  bush,  and  for  the  blessing  which  came 
upon  the  head  of  his  servant,  and  upon  the  top 
of  the  head  of  him  that  was  separated  from  his 
brethren." 

Desirous  as  we  are,  at  this  time,  to  commemo- 
rate the  services  of  our  departed  missionary,  to 
treasure  up  in  our  hearts  the  spirit  of  his  great  ex- 
ample, it  shall  be  our  aim,  so  far  as  we  may  be 
able  in  the  time  allotted  to  this  service,  to  contem- 
plate 

THE    PEOMINENT    POINTS    OF    HIS     HISTORY THE    CHAR- 
ACTER WHICH    IT  DEVELOPED AND  SEVERAL   LESSONS 

WHICH   IT   SUGGESTS. 

Adoniram  Judson  was  born  at  Maiden,  in  the 


210  Christian  Greatness 

neighborhood  of  Boston,  on  the  9th  of  August,  1788. 
He  was  the  son  of  a  Congregational  clergyman,  and 
was  favored,  of  course,  in  the  days  of  his  boyhood, 
with  the  means  of  religious  knowledge.  His  early 
youth,  however,  furnished  no  evidences  of  true 
piety :  so  far  from  this,  when  he  was  graduated  at 
Brown  University,  in  the  year  1807,  he  was  not  a 
believer  in  Christianity.  If  not  an  avowed  Deist 
of  any  particular  school,  he  was  skeptical  as  to  the 
reality  of  divine  revelation.  The  first  impulse  of  his 
mind  toward  a  better  state  appears  to  have  sprung 
from  a  calm  conviction  of  the  folly  and  the  peril  of 
suspense  in  relation  to  a  subject  so  momentous  on 
the  part  of  one  who  is  neglecting  the  means  of  in- 
vestigation. On  this  account  he  devoted  himself 
to  a  sober  inquiry  respecting  the  evidences  of  the 
Christian  religion,  of  which  the  result  was  a  thor- 
ough change  of  his  opinions.  The  way  was  thus 
prepared  for  his  conversion,  by  which  we  mean  the 
cordial  submission  of  his  heart  to  the  teachings  of 
the  gospel.  This  happy  issue  did  not  follow  at 
once.  While  lingering  in  this  city,  he  happened, 
one  day,  to  take  down  from  the  shelf  of  a  private 
library  a  volume  which,  at  that  time,  was  a  favor- 
ite household  book  among  Christian  readers.  It 
was  "Human  Xature  in  its  Fourfold  State,"  by 
Thomas  Boston,  a  minister  of  Ettrick,  in  Scotland. 
The  work  was  perused  by  young  Judson  with  pro- 
found attention,  and  from  it  he  derived  new  views 
of  sin  and  of  redemption.  His  spiritual  nature  was 
now  agitated  to  its  very  depths,  and  in  this  state 
of  mind,  without  having  obtained  the  mental  peace 


In  the  Missionary.  211 


which  he  craved,  he  sought  admission  to  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  at  Andover,  with  the  hope  -of  re- 
ceiving that  knowledge  of  the  truth  which  maketh 
wise  unto  salvation.  He  was  not  disappointed. 
His  request  having  been  complied  with,  after  a 
short  period,  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel  were  dis- 
closed to  his  view  in  all  their  divine  simplicity, 
and  the  gloom  of  skepticism  gave  place  to  an  intel- 
ligent and  joyous  faith. 

No  one  will  wonder  that  after  the  experience  of 
so  great  a  change  he  should  have  wished  to  diffuse 
the  light  which  he  had  received,  even  unto  the  ends 
of  the  earth.  Another  book,  that  now  came  in  his 
way,  was  destined  to  exert  a  mighty  influence  upon 
his  life  and  character.  The  celebrated  discourse  of 
Dr.  Buclianan,  entitled  "  The  Star  in  the  East," 
kindled  the  spark  of  Mr.  Judson's  missionary  zeal 
into  a  flame,  intense  and'  unquenchable.  It  im- 
parted to  his  deep  and  indefinite  longings  a  practi- 
cal aim,  and  seemed  like  the  voice  of  God  sum- 
moning him  to  his  field  of  action.  At  such  a 
bidding  he  was  ready,  like  Abraham,  to  go  forth 
alone,  "not  knowing  whither"  he  might  be  led; 
but  in  disclosing  his  views  to  others,  he  found  in 
Samuel  J.  Mills,  Samuel  Nott,  and  Samuel  J^ewell 
congenial  spirits,  whom  the  Head  of  the  Church 
was  preparing  for  the  same  exalted  destination. 

At  that  time  there  was  not  an  association  of  any 
kind  on  the  continent  of  America  to  which  these 
young  men  could  look  with  an  assurance  of  counsel 
or  support.  The  churches  of  this  country  had  been 
planted  by  men  who  had  fled  as  exiles  from  European 


212  Christian  Greatness 

oppression,  and  their  minds  had  been  engrossed  in 
seeking  security  and  freedom  for  themselves.  Some 
efforts  had  been  made  for  the  evangelization  of  the 
Pagan  natives  in  their  immediate  neighborhood, 
but  there  had  been  no  attempt  to  penetrate  the  vast 
realm  of  Heathenism  on  the  old  continents,  and 
there  was  but  a  dim  conception  of  the  enlarged, 
aggressive  spirit  of  Christianity  which  is  breathed 
forth  in  the  words  of  "  the  Great  Commission." 
No  wonder  is  it,  then,  that  Mr.  Judson  resolved  to 
seek  aid  and  co-operation  across  the  Atlantic.  He 
opened  a  correspondence  with  the  London  Mission- 
ary Society,  received  answers  of  encouragement, 
and  was  invited  to  visit  England.  Nevertheless,  a 
memorial  in  behalf  of  himself  and  his  youthful  co- 
adjutors was  addressed  to  the  Massachusetts  Asso- 
ciation at  Bradford  in  June,  1810,  the  result  of 
which  was  the  formation  of  the  American  Board 
of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions.  Under 
their  direction  he  sailed  for  England  in  the  year 
1811,  in  order  to  arrange  a  plan  of  co-operation  be- 
tween the  two  societies.  He  was  captured  by  a 
French  privateer,  was  imprisoned  at  Bayonne,  was 
released  on  parole,  obtained  an  imperial  passport, 
and  proceeded  to  London  for  the  prosecution  of  his 
errand.  We  have  reason  to  rejoice  that  no  concert 
of  action  was  effected  ;  that  the  new  society  was 
urged  to  pursue  an  independent  course,  and  that 
hence,  from  the  day  of  weak  beginnings  and  of 
doubtful  existence,  it  has  put  forth  an  influence 
which  now  encircles  the  globe  like  a  zone  of 
light,    and    has    gathered    a    moral    strength    by 


In  the  MitisioNAKY.  213 


which  it  shall  outlast  the  greatest  of  earthly  em- 
pires. 

After  Mr.  Judson's  return  to  America,  he  so- 
licited an  appointment  from  the  board,  which  met 
at  Worcester  in  September,  1811,  having  fully  de- 
termined that  if  his  request  were  not  granted 
he  would  enter  the  missionary  field  under  the  pa- 
tronage of  the  London  society.  The  board  was  im- 
pelled to  a  decisive  movement;  and,  having  con- 
cluded to  attempt  a  mission  in  Burmah,  amid  many 
conflicting  hopes  and  fears,  bestowed  appointments 
on  Messrs.  Judson,  Newell,  Kott,  and  Gordon 
Hall.  It  was  a  deed  of  unpretending  character, 
but  never  to  be  forgotten;  the  capital  link  in  a 
chain  of  grand  events  whose  memory  coming  ages 
shall  "not  willingly  let  die." 

And  here  our  thoughts  naturally  revert  to  her 
whose  name  will  ever  awaken  the  most  refined  and 
elevated  conceptions  of  a  true  womanly  character 
and  of  a  sublime  moral  heroism.  It  was  at  this 
time  that  Ann  Hasseltine  identified  her  earthly  for- 
tunes with  those  of  our  adventurous  missionary, 
and  by  her  own  footsteps  marked  out  that  path- 
way, through  an  untrodden  field  of  enterprise,  in 
which  a  noble  company  of  her  countrywomen  have 
since  followed,  and  around  which  they  have  shed 
an  imperishable  lustre.  In  abandoning  the  sweet 
associations  of  a  J^ew  England  home  which  domes- 
tic affections,  intellectual  culture,  and  refined  so- 
ciety had  invested  with  more  than  an  ordinary 
charm,  in  order  to  carry  the  blessings  of  the  gos- 
pel to  a  distant  land,  to  a  sickly  clime,  and  a  de- 


214  Chris'I'ian  Greatness 

graded  nation  of  idolaters,  she  did  not  follow  at  the 
beck  of  any  high  example,  nor  enjoy  a  gleam  of 
light  from  any  honored  precedent,  but,  like  the 
companion  of  her  covenant,  pursued  her  course 
over  a  trackless  waste,  guided  by  faith  alone ; 
"  endured  as  seeing  Him  who  is  invisible,"  as- 
sured that  his  providence  would  go  before  them 
as  a  pillar  of  cloud  by  day  and  of  fire  by  night. 
And  so  it  was.  Although  in  the  view  of  a  cool, 
worldly  prudence  she  appeared  only  as  the  victim 
of  a  poetical  illusion,  the  sport  of  a  wild  spirit  of 
religious  romance,  the  history  of  her  life  has 
proved  that  she  had  formed  a  just  conception  of 
the  work  which  she  undertook  —  of  the  means 
suited  to  its  accomjDlishment ;  that  she  was  ani- 
mated not  only  by  a  lofty  enthusiasm,  but  also  by 
a  true  practical  wisdom,  whose  combined  forces 
urged  her  forward  in  her  career  with  an  ardent 
energy  "  which  tlie  nature  of  the  human  mind  for- 
bade to  be  more,"  and  which  the  dignity  of  the  ob- 
ject "  forbade  to  be  less."  One  of  the  finest  tributes 
ever  paid  to  the  character  of  American  females  has 
been  drawn  forth  by  our  missionaries  from  an  emi- 
nent English  prelate,  the  Bishop  of  Calcutta,  who 
has  attested  his  higli  estimation  of  their  virtues, 
their  accomplishments,  their  piety,  and  of  the 
mighty  influence  which  they  are  exerting  on  the 
moral  destinies  of  Asia.  They  form  an  order 
of  women  to  whom,  at  some  distant  day,  the 
pen  of  history  will  do  justice,  as  having  been  the 
glory  of  the  nineteenth  century :  and  at  the 
head     of    that     order,     wreatlied    with     unfadino- 


In  the  Missionary.  215 

honors   will  stand    the   name   of  Ann    Hasseltine 
Judson. 

Soon  after  he  had  received  his  appointment,  Mr. 
Judson  was  married  at  Bradford  on  the  5th  of 
Febrnary,  1812 ;  on  the  16th  was  ordained  in  the 
Tabernacle  Church  at  Salem  ;  and  in  company 
with  his  wife,  together  w^ith  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newell, 
embarked  at  that  port  in  the  brig  Caravan,  under 
the  command  of  the  generous-hearted  Capt.  Heard, 
on  the  nineteenth  of  the  same  month.  Their  voy- 
age was  prosperous ;  they  soon  became  naturalized 
to  the  sea,  and  were  able  to  employ  all  their  time 
in  studious  preparation  for  their  work.  The  cabin 
of  the  Caravan  became  a  consecrated  and  memor- 
able place,  and  may  be  properly  called  the  cradle 
of  the  American  Baptist  Missionary  enterprise. 
There,  amid  much  devout  stud}^  and  many  prayers, 
occurred  that  remarkable  change  in  Mr.  Judson's 
opinions  as  to  the  constitution  of  the  Christian 
Church  which  brought  him  into  immediate  con- 
nection with  the  Baptists  of  this  country.  Going 
forth  from  his  native  land  to  rear  Christian  churches 
where  no  foundation  had  been  laid,  and  where  he 
could  not  proceed  "  in  another  man's  line  of  things 
made  ready  to  his  hand,"  it  seems  not  strange  that 
he  should  have  sought  light  from  the  oracles  of 
God,  and  should  have  studied  with  profound  atten- 
tion the  principles,  the  teachings,  and  the  practices 
of  the  inspired  apostles.  Expecting,  as  he  did,  to 
meet  at  Calcutta  the  venerated  Dr.  Carey,  and 
Marshman,  and  Ward,  the  pioneers  of  Christian 
missions  in  India,  it  is  not  wonderful  that  their  dis- 


216  Christian  Greatness 

tinguishing  sentiments  should  have  arrested  his  at- 
tention. What  he  regarded  as  apostolic  baptism, 
they  treated  as  an  innovation  of  later  times.  He 
had  been  charged  to  baptize  converted  heathen 
and  all  their  infant  offspring  ;  they  would  adminis- 
ter the  solemn  rite  of  dedication  to  none  but  be- 
lievers on  a  profession  of  personal  faith.  Accus- 
tomed as  he  was  to  habits  of  independent  thought, 
revering  the  Scriptures,  too,  as  the  only  and  sufl&- 
cient  rule  of  faith,  we  do  not  wonder  that  he 
resolved  to  examine  these  questions  thoroughl}'", 
and  to  follow  with  unfaltering  step  whithersoever 
Truth  should  lead  the  way.  His  investigations 
led  him  to  embrace  the  doctrines  which  we  pro- 
fess ;  his  reasons  have  been  published  to  the  world, 
and,  whatsoever  may  be  thought  of  them,  none 
can  doubt  that  his  conduct  in  this  instance  illus- 
trated the  purity  of  his  motives,  and  exemplified 
that  lofty  conscientiousness  which  is  an  essential 
element  of  true  Christian  heroism. 

Mr.  Judson  and  his  company  arrived  at  Calcutta 
on  the  18th  of  June,  and  accepted  the  hospitalities 
of  the  missionaries  at  Serampore,  with  whom  they 
entered  into  friendly  deliberations  as  to  the  field 
which  they  should  occupy.  Their  counsels,  how- 
ever, were  suddenly  embarrassed  by  their  receiving 
from  the  local  government  an  order  directing  them 
to  return  immediately  to  the  United  States.  The 
East  India  Company,  a  body  of  merchants  which 
had  received  its  first  charter  of  incorporation  from 
Queen  Elizabeth,  on  the  last  day  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  had  gradually  acquired  a  vast  territorial 


In  the  Missionary.  217 

influence,  and  was  now  holding  in  its  hand  the  po- 
litical destinies  of  India.  Intent  only  on  the  estab- 
lishment of  its  power,  it  was  jealous  of  the  hum- 
blest effort  to  diffuse  Christianity  among  the  native 
population  ;  and,  although  a  benign  Providence 
has  rendered  its  prosperity  subservient  to  the  pro- 
gress of  true  religion,  it  has  at  various  times  com- 
mitted the  moral  errors  which  are  ever  incidental 
to  the  policies  of  men  whose  highest  law  of  action 
is  derived  from  the  oracles  of  Mammon,  and  who 
honor  commerce  as  the  supreme  interest  of  hu- 
manity. 

In  these  trying  circumstances,  our  missionaries 
petitioned  the  government  to  modify  its  order  so  as 
to  allow  them  to  go  to  the  Isle  of  France,  which  is 
often  called  by  its  older  Dutch  name,  Mauritius — 
an  island  of  almost  circular  form  in  the  Indian  sea, 
somewhat  less  than  fifty  miles  in  diameter,  and  in- 
habited chiefly  by  the  descendants  of  old  French 
families.  It  had  lately  fallen  into  the  possession 
of  England  ;  but  at  the  period  of  which  we  speak 
the  English  claim  to  it  had  not  been  confirmed,  as 
it  was  afterward,  by  a  treaty  with  the  government 
of  France.  Here  it  was  that  the  little  group  of 
persecuted  missionaries,  after  many  perils  and 
many  interpositions  of  a  guardian  Providence, 
found  their  first  field  of  labor  in  the  Eastern  world. 
The  island  arose  before  their  view  in  the  "  great 
wide  sea"  as  a  welcome  refuge,  like  that  hillock,  in 
a  wider  waste  of  waters,  where  the  wandering  dove 
of  Noah  "  rested  the  sole  of  her  foot"  and  plucked 
the  leaf  of  olive  which  was  a  presage  of  better  days. 


2lS  Chribtian  Greatness 

But  although  at  the  Isle  of  France  they  were 
treated  with  great  kindness,  although  they  were 
urged  to  make  it  a  permanent  residence,  and  re- 
ceived a  promise  from  the  Governor  that  he  would 
befriend  and  patronize  the  mission,  yet  they  could 
not  regard  it  as  a  field  suited  to  their  wishes.  They 
desired  to  preach  Christ  to  pagans  who  had  never 
heard  of  him,  and  to  occupy  some  moral  centre 
whence  the  light  might  radiate  afar.  With  these 
views,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Judson  left  the  island,  which 
had  become  associated  with  tender  recollections, 
especially  as  the  burial-place  of  Mrs.  Harriet  IS'ev/- 
ell,  who  fell  a  victim  to  the  incidental  hardships  of 
her  voyage  thither,  in  the  very  prime  and*  bloom 
of  her  life.  They  embarked  for  Madras  with  the 
hope  of  obtaining  a  passage  to  Penang ;  but  as 
Madras  is  the  seat  of  one  of  the  presidencies  of 
Hindostan,  they  fled  from  it  in  haste,  driven  by  the 
fear  that  the  order  for  their  return  to  America 
would  be  renewed.  Tlie  first  opportunity  of  escape 
from  the  dreaded  dominion  of  the  East  India  Com- 
pany was  furnished  by  an  old  unseaworthy  vessel 
vessel  bound  to  Rangoon  ;  in  this  they  ventured, 
and,  after  a  perilous  voyage  of  twenty-two  days, 
arrived  safely  at  this  chief  port  of  the  Burman  em- 
pire. Thus  were  they  led  in  a  mysterious  manner 
to  the  land  of  their  original  destination  ;  all  friend- 
ly counsels  and  all  hostile  oppositions  were  render- 
ed alike  subservient  to  their  earliest  wishes,  that 
they  might  bear  the  light  of  truth  to  the  most 
deeply  necessitous,  and  raise  the  standard  of  the 
Cross  in  some  chief  citadel  of  Oriental  heathenism. 


In  the  Missionary.  219 


The  American  missionaries,  having  taken  their 
position  beyond  the  bounds  of  British  India,  now 
breathed  more  freely;  they  enjoyed  the  ,  favor  of 
the  viceroy,  and  devoted  their  whole  energy  to  the 
acquisition  of  the  Burman  and  Pali  languages.  In 
the  course  of  the  following  year  intense  exertion 
had  impaired  the  health  of  each  of  them  ;  but 
neither  medical  skill,  nor  rest,  nor  change  of  air 
and  scene  imparted  an  influence  so  balmy  and  re- 
viving as  did  the  intelligence  received  from  this 
country,  that  our  churches  had  answ^ered  to  their 
appeals,  and  that  the  Baptist  General  Convention 
for  missionary  purposes  had  been  formed  under 
auspicious  circumstances.  There  are  many  among 
us  here  who  remember  what  a  genial  enthusiasm 
was  awakened,  from  Maine  to  Georgia,  w^hen 
Luther  Rice  returned  to  his  native  land  to  aid  in 
organizing  our  missionary  operations.  He,  too, 
had  been  a  student  at  Andover,  had  joined  the 
Judsons  in  Calcutta,  had  united  with  them  in  their 
change  of  sentiments  and  of  ecclesiastical  relations, 
and  had  left  them  in  the  Isle  of  France  on  this  new 
mission  of  love  to  the  Baptists  of  the  United  States. 
His  labors  were  not  in  vain  ;  he  was  hailed  with  a 
universal  welcome,  and  in  recalling  that  period  of 
his  ministry,  he  had  reason  to  say  to  many  a  church, 
in  the  language  of  an  apostle,  "  Ye  received  me 
even  as  an  angel  of  God." 

The  reinforcement  of  the  Burman  mission,  three 
years  after  its  establishment,  gave  a  fresh  impulse 
to  the  mind  of  Mr.  Judson.  At  first,  when  he  had 
found  himself  surrounded  with  people  of  the  Mon- 


220  Christian  Gkp^atness 

golian  race  who  had  never  been  touched,  as  yet,  by 
the  slightest  influence  of  European  civilization,  a 
strange  gloom  invested  every  scene';  this,  however, 
was  gradually  dispelled  by  an  engrossing  interest 
in  his  labors  and  by  indications  of  success.  The 
arrival  of  Mr.  Hough,  carrying  with  him  a  printing 
press,  which  was  a  present  from  Dr.  Carey  and  the 
brethren  at  Serampore,  shed  new  light  over  his 
prospects.  It  is  difficult  for  us  adequately  to  con- 
ceive of  the  profound  delight  with  which  the  soli- 
tary preacher  at  Rangoon  hailed  the  accession  of  a 
fellow-worker,  and  also  of  that  mighty  instrument- 
ality of  which  he  was  wont  to  say,  "  every  pull  of 
the  press  sends  a  ray  of  light  through  the  empire  of 
darkness." 

From  that  time  Mr.  Judson  pursued  his  daily 
work  with  renovated  energy  under  the  inspiration 
of  brightening  hopes.  Judging  from  the  tone  and 
spirit  of  his  letters,  "  the  mountains  and  the  hills 
were  breaking  forth  before  him  into  singing."  He 
had  favor  with  the  rulers  and  the  people.  A  spirit 
of  inquiry  was  spreading  itself  around  him.  Even 
the  emperor,  who  had  come  into  collision  with  the 
priesthood,  had  been  heard  to  ask  for  light  respect- 
ing "  the  new  religion."  Although  no  conversion 
had  occurred,  yet  while  the  press  was  pouring  forth 
editions  of  tracts,  catechisms,  and  gospels,  the  heart 
of  the  missionary  was  elate  with  confidence.  It 
was  early  in  the  year  1817  that  he  first  heard  from 
the  lips  of  a  Burman,  and  that,  too,  an  intelligent 
and  respectable  man,  the  acknowledgment  of  an 
eternal  God.     "I  can  not  tell,"  said  he,  "how  I 


In  the  Missionary.  221 


felt  at  that  moment."  This  first  gleam  of  intellec- 
tual conviction,  touching  the  great  error  of  Boodh- 
ism,  he  welcomed  as  the  harbinger  of  that  full  efflu- 
ence of  light  which  is  yet  to  irradiate  the  moral 
firmament  of  Burmah. 

In  spite  of  many  difficulties  arising  from  Mr. 
Judson's  unfortunate  detention  while  absent  on  an 
errand  to  Chittagong,  and  also  from  the  recall  of 
the  friendly  viceroy  of  Rangoon  by  the  court  of 
Ava,  the  good  work  went  forward,  slowly,  but 
surely.  The  thirtieth  of  April,  1819,  became  mem- 
orable in  the  history  of  the  mission.  Until  then, 
the  missionaries  had  lived  in  comparative  seclu- 
sion, and  had  put  forth  no  efforts  of  ^public  char- 
acter. On  that  day  a  new  step  was  taken  involving 
new  hazards.  A  zayat  was  opened  for  preaching 
and  worship.  There,  about  two  months  afterward, 
a  small  assembly  was  gathered  to  witness  the  re- 
ception of  the  first  Burman  convert  into  the  Chris- 
tian Church.  Moung  ^au,  a  man  who  was  thirty- 
five  years  of  age,  openly  renounced  Boodhism, 
made  a  satisfactory  confession  of  his  faith  in  Christ, 
then  left  the  zayat,  proceeded  with  the  company  to 
a  small  lake,  on  whose  margin  stood  an  immense 
image  of  Gaudama,  and  there,  in  the  rite  of  bap- 
tism, "  witnessed  a  good  profession."  On  the  fol- 
lowing Sabbath,  the  fourth  of  July,  this  first 
Burman  disciple  received  the  Lord's  Supper, 
which  was  then,  for  the  first  time,  administered  in 
two  languages.  Moung  ISTau  adorned  his  profes- 
sion, rendered  to  the  church  much  valuable  service, 
and  remained  faithful  unto  death. 


222  Christian  Greatness 

We  have  now  traced  the  course  of  Dr.  Judson 

from  the  scenes  of  his  youth  to  those  of  his  riper 
years  ;  from  the  time  of  his  first  aspirations  after  a 
missionary  life  to  the  successful  establishment  of 
the  mission  in  Burmah.  The  subsequent  portion 
of  his  history  is  more  crowded  with  stirring  inci- 
dents, with  vivid  contrasts,  with  narratives  of  dar- 
ing and  endurance,  of  perils  and  escapes,  such  as 
are  fit  materials  for  an  epic  poem ;  but  that  part 
which  has  passed  in  review  before  us  discloses  most 
clearly  his  principles  of  action,  his  cherished  aims, 
the  force  of  his  genius,  the  ruling  spirit  of  his  life, 
the  leadiug  qualities  of  his  mind  and  heart.  It 
will  be  sufficient  for  our  purpose,  therefore,  to 
glance  hastily  at  the  course  of  events  from  the  pe- 
riod which  we  have  reached  to  the  close  of  his 
earthly  career. 

Previous  to  the  opening  of  the  zayat  in  Ran- 
goon, two  young  men  of  Boston  had  joined  the 
mission.  These  were,  Mr.  Wheelock,  of  the  sec- 
ond church,  under  the  pastoral  care  of  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Baldwin,  and  Mr.  Colman,  of  the  third  church, 
under  the  care  of  Rev.  Dr.  Sharp.  Within  a  sin- 
gle year  Mr.  Wheelock  fell  the  victim  of  a  fatal 
disease.  Within  three  years  Mr.  Colman  followed 
his  friend  to  the  tomb ,  but  in  the  beginning  of  the 
year  1820  he  was  Dr.  Judson's  companion  to  the 
imperial  court  at  Ava.  A  strong  impression  pre- 
vailed at  Rangoon  that  a  friendly  visit  to  the  emperor 
might  incline  him  to  favor  the  new  religion,  and  to 
protect  the  converts  from  persecution.  The  drift 
of  events  during  several  years  had  fostered  in  the 


In  the  Missionary. 


breasts  of  the  missionaries  the  most  sanguine  hopes 
of  this  result.  They  performed,  therefore,  a  tedious 
voyage  up  the  Irrawaddy  with  the  utmost  cheerful- 
ness, and  their  elated  expectations  invested  all  the 
scenes  of  nature  with  an  aspect  of  beauty  and  love- 
liness. JN^othing  that  ever  came  from  Dr.  Judson's 
pen  was  written  in  a  more  animated  style  than 
were  the  pages  of  his  journal  while  on  the  way  to 
Ava.  But  when  the  visit  had  proved  to  be  an  en- 
tire failure,  when  the  emperor  had  dashed  to  the 
ground  with  deep  disdain  the  printed  leaf  which 
proclaimed  an  eternal  God,  and  had  bidden  the 
splendid  volumes  which  they  offered  away  from 
him,  their  spirits  sunk  to  a  depth  corresponding  to 
their  former  elevation,  and  they  were  for  a  time 
paralyzed  by  the  chill  of  disappointment.  They 
imagined  that  no  Burman  would  dare  avow  a  re- 
ligion which  "the  golden  feet"  had  spurned,  that 
further  labor  would  be  wasted,  and  that  a  more 
hopeful  field  must  be  sought.  One  of  the  most  in- 
structive spectacles  in  the  history  of  missions  occur- 
red at  Kangoon,  when  the  Burman  disciples,  instead 
of  shrinking  from  the  company  of  the  missionaries, 
as  it  was  supposed  they  would  do,  rallied  around 
them,  encouraged  them,  pointed  out  the  brighter 
aspects  of  the  enterprise,  and  besought  them  with 
tears  and  arguments  not  to  forsake  a  post  to  which 
God  himself  had  so  evidently  led  them.  The  coun- 
sel of  the  Burman  Christians  prevailed,  and  their 
faith  saved  the  station  from  abandonment.  This 
was  "  after  the  manner  of  God,"  who  honors  the 
zeal   of  his   people   more   than   the   patronage  of 


224  Christian  Greatness 

kings,  and  was  in  analogy  with  the  ways  of  Him 
who  committed  the  destinies  of  his  cause  on  earth 
to  the  lowly  fishermen  of  Galilee,  but  who,  when 
invited  to  appear  at  the  court  of  Herod,  turned  his 
back  on  majesty  and  left  the  royal  sinner  to  his 
doom. 

The  following  year  a  Christian  physician,  Dr. 
Jonathan  Price,  joined  the  mission.  He  visited 
Ava  in  his  professional  character,  and  was  favor- 
ably received  by  the  emperor.  This  event  opened 
the  way  for  Dr.  Judson  to  go  to  Ava  as  a  mission- 
ary ;  and  when  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wade  arrived  at  Ran- 
goon, it  was  decided  that  they  should  remain  tliere, 
and  that  he  should  fix  his  residence  at  the  capital. 
The  state  of  the  mission  was  now  more  hopeful 
than  ever.  On  all  sides  the  signs  of  the  times  in- 
dicated prosperity.  But  these  bright  skies  were 
soon  overcast  with  clouds  and  tempests.  For  many 
years  the  British  power  in  Hindostan  had  been 
making  constant  progress  amid  the  storms  of  war, 
and  now  it  was  destined  to  establish  itself  in  Chin- 
India.  When  it  became  evident  that  the  Burman 
emperor  was  making  preparations  to  invade  Ben- 
gal, it  was  resolved  to  anticipate  the  blow ;  and  an 
army  of  ten  thousand  men,  under  the  command  of 
Sir  Archibald  Campbell,  attacked  and  seized  Ran- 
goon. Messrs.  Hough  and  Wade,  then  residing  at 
that  station,  were  imprisoned  under  armed  keepers, 
who  had  been  charged  to  massacre  our  brethren  as 
soon  as  the  first  shot  should  be  fired.  But  the 
panic  created  by  that  shot  was  so  intense  that  the 
keepers  fled,  and  by  this  means  alone  were  the  lives 


In  the  Missionary.  225 


of  the  prisoners  saved.  When  the  news  of  that  de- 
liverance reached  this  country,  our  temples  re- 
sounded with  the  strains  of  thanksgiving,  chasten- 
ed and  subdued,  however,  by  the  fearful  suspense 
which  remained  as  to  the  fate  of  our  friends  in  Ava. 
For  tw^o  years  that  suspense  was  unbroken,  and  be- 
cam.e  more  agonizing  by  the  lapse  of  time.  At 
last  the  welcome  news  arrived  that  the  lives  of  the 
missionaries  had  been  preserved.  But  who  can 
adequately  describe  the  profound  and  mingled 
emotions  which  swelled  the  hearts  of  American 
Christians,  the  smiles,  and  tears,  the  fervent  pray- 
ers and  hymns  of  praise,  tokens  of  sympathy  too 
deep  for  words,  which  distinguished  our  assemblies 
at  that  period  when  the  revolting  scenes  at  Ava 
were  fully  disclosed?  Every  form  of  evil  which 
the  most  lively  imagination  had  suggested,  except 
that  of  death  itself,  had  been  bitterly  realized  by 
Dr.  Judson  and  his  companions  in  sorrow.  Loath- 
some prisons,  galling  fetters,  famine,  tortures,  bar- 
barous insults,  the  separation  of  husband  and  wife, 
the  confiscation  of  goods,  exhausting  sicknesses, 
and  bloody  tracks  of  lacerated  feet  over  burning 
sands — these  are  the  leading  features  that  mark  the 
picture  of  missionary  life  in  Burmah  during  the 
progress  of  the  English  war.  And  yet,  amidst  the 
peltings  of  the  storm,  these  Christian  martyrs  could 
encourage  each  other  to  calm  endurance ;  their 
souls  rose  superior  to  the  overhanging  clouds 
charged  with  the  elements  of  destruction,  like  those 
birds  of  the  tropical  climes  which  are  observed  to 
soar  above  the  sweep  of  the  passing  hurricane,  and 


226  Christian  Greatness 

to  pour   forth   their   sweet   soDgs   in   the   serener 
regions  of  the  npper  atmosphere. 

A  tribute  of  honor  is  due  to  Sir  Archibald  Camp- 
bell for  his  generous  treatment  of  our  missionaries 
at  the  close  of  the  war.  In  the  treaty  of  peace 
which  follow^ed,  he  demanded  their  surrender  at  the 
hands  of  the  Burman  emperor,  who,  having  become 
sensible  of  the  value  of  Dr.  Judson's  services  as  a 
translator  and  interpreter,  had  expressed  an  inten- 
tion to  retain  him.  The  English  general  not  only 
w^elcomed  him  to  the  hospitalities  of  his  camp  and 
table,  but  presented  him  with  an  eligible  site  of 
land  for  a  missionary  station  at  Amherst,  the  cho- 
sen seat  X)f  the  English  Government  in  Burmah ; 
and  afterward,  when  Mrs.  Judson  died  and  was 
buried  there,  he  expressed  a  sense  of  her  extraordi- 
nary worth,  and  his  sympathy  with  her  bereaved 
husband,  in  terms  v^hich  reflect  more  honor  on  his 
character  than  the  victories  acquired  by  his  arms. 
In  the  retrospect  of  life,  it  must  have  seemed  to 
Dr.  Judson  an  occasion  of  gratitude  to  God  that 
the  British  power,  which  had  driven  him  from 
India,  was  now  wielded  by  one  who  was  disposed 
to  throw  around  him  its  protecting  shield. 

After  tlie  restoration  of  peace,  Dr.  Price  returned 
to  Ava.  He  was  favorably  received  as  a  physician, 
and  became,  also,  the  tutor  of  several  youths  be- 
longing to  royal  and  to  noble  families.  His  hopes 
were  sanguine  as  to  his  future  usefulness,  but  in  the 
year  1828  he  died  of  pulmonary  consumption.  Of 
him  no  memoir  has  been  published,  and  the  entire 
destruction  of  his  papers  during  the  Burmese  war 


In  titp]  Missionary.  227 


has  rendered  it  difficult  to  supply  the  deficiency. 
To  the  mission  his  loss  was  irreparable.  He  was  a 
man  of  extensive  attainments  and  of  remarkably 
fine  address.  At  Ava  he  engaged  the  confidence 
of  the  court,  and  of  him,  in  connection  with  Dr. 
Judson,  it  was  attested  by  Mr.  Crawfurd,  the  En- 
glish envoy,  that  "  it  was  .in  a  great  measure  through 
their  influence,  in  surmounting  the  unspeakable 
distrust,  jealousy,  and  it  may  be  added,  incapacity 
of  the  Burman  chiefs,  that  the  peace  was  ultimately 
brought  about."* 

During  several  succeeding  years  Dr.  Judson  was 
busily  engaged  at  Amherst  and  Maulmain  in  the 
work  of  translation,  in  the  revision  of  the  Burman 
Scriptures,  in  the  preparation  of  a  Burman-English 
dictionary,  and  in  public  teaching  at  the  zayat. 
At  this  time,  when  Burmah  proper  was  closed 
against  him,  a  new  field  of  missionary  influence 
was  unexpectedly  opened  to  his  view.  Early  in 
the  year  1828  the  cliurch  at  Maulmain  received 
Moung  Thah-byu  as  a  candidate  for  baptism.  As 
Mr.  Boardman,  who  had  lately  joined  the  mission, 
was  about  to  establish  a  station  at  Tavoy,  an  old 
Burman  town  on  the  Tavoy  river,  containing  a 
population  of  about  nine  thousand,  he  took  this 
young  convert  with  him,  and  baptized  him  there. 
Although  the  name  of  this  man  sounds  to  our  ears 
like  the  name  of  a  Burman,  yet  he  was  of  another 
race — the  Karens — a  people  as  nomadic  as  the 
Arabs  in  their  habits,  scattered  abroad  through  the 


Crawfurd'p  Embassy,  vol.  1,  p.  160. 


228  CHRIdTIAX    (ill  KATNKSS 

rural  districts,  the  mountains  and  the  jungles  of 
Burmah  and  Siam.  Their  condition  is  singular. 
They  have  no  written  language,  no  priests,  no  tem- 
ples, no  ritual,  and  although  some  of  them  are 
Boodhists,  the  great  majority  of  them  believe  in 
the  existence  of  an  Eternal  God,  sing  hymns  to  his 
praise,  and  in  the  scale  of  moral  virtues  are  supe- 
rior to  the  heathen  around  them.  According  to 
the  testimony  of  Mr.  Mason,  who  has  thoroughly 
mastered  all  that  may  be  known  of  their  history, 
they  have  been  long  walking  after  the  traditions  of 
their  fathers,  which  had  nourished  in  their  breasts 
the  expectation  tliat  teachers  would  come  from  afar 
to  instruct  them  in  the  true  religion.  The  hopes  of 
the  church  in  Maulmain,  that  the  convert  whom 
they  had  received  to  their  fellowship  would  be 
among  the  first  fruits  of  a  spiritual  harvest  gather- 
ed from  the  Karens,  have  been  amply  realized. 
They  seem  to  have  been  "a  people  made  ready  for 
the  Messiah."  The  annals  of  modern  ratssions 
exhibit  no  instance  of  a  more  rapid  and  amazing 
triumph  of  the  gospel ;  for  it  is  with  a  feeling  of 
grateful  joy  that  we  record  the  fact,  that  Dr.  Jud- 
son  lived  to  see  the  day  when  there  was  reason  to 
believe  that  eleven  thousand  Karens  had  embraced 
the  faith  of  Christ  "  in  spirit  and  in  truth." 

Eight  years  after  he  had  buried  the  wife  of  his 
youth.  Dr.  Judson  became  united  in  marriage  to 
Mrs.  Sarah  Boardman,  widow  of  the  Kev.  George 
Dana  Boardman,  who  had  fallen  by  the  hand  of 
death  four  years  before,  while  in  the  prime  of  man- 
hood and  in  the  midst  of  his  usefulness.     This  union 


In  tut:  Missionary.  229 


was  in  all  respects  a  happy  one.  The  qualities  of 
her  mind  and  heart,  her  thorough  education,  her 
congenial  tastes,  her  aptness  to  teach,  her  elegant 
Burmese  scholarship,  the  strength  of  her  domestic 
affections,  and,  withal,  her  love  to  the  missionary 
work,  well  fitted  her  to  be  the  companion  and  the 
wife  of  one  whom  she  honored  as  "first  among  the 
best  of  Christians  and  of  men."  In  the  discharge 
of  daily  duties,  in  the  endurance  of  trials,  in  liter- 
ary studies,  in  counsel  and  in  action,  they  were 
mutual  helpers,  and  for  a  series  gf  years  enjoyed  a 
degree  of  happiness  far  beyond  what  their  peculiar 
circumstances  might  have  furnished  reason  to  an- 
ticipate. But  in  the  year  1845,  Mrs.  Judson's 
health  became  impaired ;  a  voyage  beyond  the 
tropics  was  ordered  by  the  physicians,  and  after  a 
painful  deliberation,  her  husband  resolved  to  ac- 
company her  to  her  native  land. 

They  had  not  been  long  at  sea  before  every  hope 
of  her  recovery  was  blasted,  and  he  recoiled  from 
the  prospect  before  him  of  committing  her  remains 
to  an  ocean  grave.  But  he  was  spared  that  trial. 
Mrs.  Judson  died  while  the  vessel  was  lying  at  the 
Isle  of  St.  Helena,  where  a  large  circle  of  Christian 
friends  followed  her  to  the  tonib,  and  sought  in 
every  way  which  sympathy  could  suggest  to  soothe 
the  heart  of  the  bereaved  missionary. 

There  are  few,  if  any,  of  those  who  are  assembled 
here  who  do  not  remember  with  what  a  thrill  of 
jo}^  the  arrival  of  Dr.  Judson  in  Boston  was  wel- 
comed. On  the  loth  of  October,  1845,  he  stepped 
ashore,  and  at  once  the  intelligence  flew  as  on  elec- 


230  Christian  Greatness 

trie  wings.  His  friends  were  inv^ited  to  meet  him 
at  the  Bowdoin  Sqnare  Chnrch  on  the  evening  of 
the  second  following  day,  and  that  large  edifice  was 
crowded  with  men  and  women  eager  to  behold  the 
form  and  countenance  of  the  veteran  warrior  re- 
turned from  the  field  of  his  conflicts.  A  scene  of 
equal  interest  is  rarely  beheld  more  than  once  in 
any  man's  lifetime,  and  an  exact  parallel  to  this  can 
not  recur  within  the  period  allotted  to  the  present 
generation. 

The  greeting  wi^ich  Dr.  Judson  here  received  was 
a  fair  example  of  what  awaited  him  in  other  places; 
it  was  but  the  first  touch  of  a  sympathetic  chord 
whose  vibrations  were  felt  throughout  the  whole 
country.  Thousands  who  had  been  born  since  he 
had  left  his  native  land  hastened  to  grasp  his  hand, 
and  addressed  him  as  one  whose  name  had  always 
been  familiar  to  their  lips.  He  who  had  gone  forth 
weeping,  "  bearing  precious  seed,"  while  worldly 
wisdom  pronounced  his  errand  a  chimera,  and  pre- 
dicted that  his  mission  would  be  a  failure,  had  now 
returned,  amid  universal  acclamations,  with  the 
laurels  of  victory  upon  his  brow.  His  journey  was 
a  triumphal  march.  It  indicated  a  state  of  the 
public  mind  which  he  had  never  before  witnessed. 
It  was  not  the  response  of  a  great  people  to  a  bene- 
factor who  had  blessed  tliem^  but  it  was  a  spontane- 
ous tribute  of  honor  to  a  moral  hero  who  had  given 
up  his  life  to  bless  others ;  it  was  the  grand  expres- 
sion of  a  public  sentiment  toward  the  cause  of 
Christian  Missions  which  he  himself  had  done  so 
much  to  create. 


In  the  Missionary.  231 

During  Dr.  Judson's  stay  in  this  country,  he 
evinced  a  fine  susceptibility  of  deriving  enjoyment 
from  every  thing  around  him.  From  reminiscences 
of  the  past,  from  scenes  of  nature,  from  social  in- 
tercourse, from  the  study  of  men,  manners,  cus- 
toms, and  society,  he  drew  incentives  to  thought 
and  subjects  of  conversation.  Plis  power  of  obser- 
vation was  quick  and  comprehensive,  and  nothing 
seemed  to  be  too  great  or  too  minute  to  minister  to 
his  mental  activity  and  his  happiness.  It  was  evi- 
dent to  those  who  were  favored  with  the  opportu- 
nity of  associating  with  him,  that  his  long  delay  to 
revisit  the  home  of  his  youth  had  not  arisen  from 
any  thing  like  coldness  or  stoicism  in  his  nature, 
but  simply  from  devotion  to  his  great  object. 
Nothing  here,  however,  could  wean  his  affections 
from  the  churches  of  Burmah,  and  he  soon  became 
impatient  to  return  to  the  sphere  of  his  daily  toils. 
He  desired  to  make  every  visit,  every  event,  sub- 
servient to  his  life-work.  While  sojourning  in 
Philadelphia,  he  became  favorably  impressed  with 
the  character  of  that  gifted  lady  whose  graceful 
pen  he  wished  to  employ  in  writing  a  memoir  of 
his  lately  deceased  wife,  and  the  result  was  a  pro- 
posal of  marriage,  which,  on  her  part,  was  consider- 
ately accepted,  and  which,  as  the  course  of  events 
has  shown,  received  the  approbation  of  Heaven. 

After  Dr.  Judson's  return  to  Burmah,  he  resumed 
the  labors  which  had  been  interrupted  by  his  ab- 
sence, and  pursued  them  during  the  three  following 
years,  until  his  health  became  entirely  broken 
down.     A  change  of  climate  was  necessary,  and  he 


232  Christian  Greatness 

resolved  to  embark  for  the  island  of  Bourbon.  It 
was  impracticable  for  Mrs.  Judson  to  accompany 
him,  and  to  her  the  pang  of  parting  was  rendered 
especially  painful  by  the  fear  that  he  would  never 
return.  The  native  Christians  of  Maulmain  were 
all  opposed  to  his  departure,  expressing  the  gloomy 
presentiment  that  their  beloved  teacher  would  be 
buried  in  the  sea,  and  also  the  wish  that  his  grave 
might  be  made  where  they  could  visit  it.  In  those 
fears  Dr.  Judson  did  not  participate,  but  in  the  end 
they  were  all  realized.  He  regarded  himself  as 
being  constitutionally  tenacious  of  life,  and  longed 
to  inhale  the  ocean  air,  believing  that  he  might  yet 
be  restored  to  complete  his  literary  tasks,  and  then 
to  devote  succeeding  years  to  the  ministration  of 
the  gospel. 

But  God  had  otherwise  ordained.  The  pangs  of 
disease,  which  became  gradually  more  intense,  were 
soon  revealed  in  their  true  character  as  heralds  sent 
from  Him  to  summon  a  faithful  servant  from  his 
toil  to  his  reward.  Thus  far  he  had  been  borne 
onward  triumphantly  tlirough  a  long  and  arduous 
career;  only  one  more  contest  now  remained,  only 
one  more  victory,  and  that  the  victory  over  Death. 
For  this  he  was  prepared.  In  anticipation  of  pro- 
tracted tortures  aggravated  by  a  quick,  nervous  sen- 
sibility, he  could  pray,  like  his  Divine  Master, 
"Father,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from 
me ;"  still,  it  was  his  to  welcome  the  bitter  draught 
with  the  smile  of  resignation,  and  thus,  "although 
he  were  a  son,  yet  learned  he  obedience  by  the 
things  he  suffered." 


In  the  Missionary.  *   233 


Soon  after  the  vessel  had  set  sail,  and  while  in 
sight  of  the  Tenasserim  coast,  there  was  a  relief 
from  pain,  and  a  slight  resuscitation  which  threw  a 
gleam  of  light  over  the  prospect  of  recovery.  But 
this  was  only  like  a  calm  in  which,  sometimes,  the 
devastating  storm  gathers  its  energies.  Eacking 
pangs  followed  in  quick  succession.  To  Mr.  Ran- 
ney,  his  coadjutor  in  the  mission  and  his  faithful 
companion  in  this  trying  scene,  he  said  a  few  words 
expressive  of  the  gratification  afforded  by  the  pres- 
ence of  a  Christian  brother.  Mr.  Kanney  an- 
swered, "  I  hope  you  feel  that  Christ  is  now  near, 
sustaining  you."  "Oh,  yes,"  he  replied,  "it  is  all 
right  there.  I  believe  that  he  gives  me  just  so 
much  pain  and  suffering  as  is  necessary  to  fit  me  to 
die ;  to  make  me  submissive  to  his  will."  After 
this  expression  there  was'  a  period  of  more  than 
forty  hours  replete  with  mortal  agonies.  It  was 
followed  by  a  placid  calm,  in  which,  without  a  sigh 
or  sign  of  suffering,  he  expired.  The  manner  of  his 
death  was  in  keeping  with  the  sublime  spirit  and 
style  of  his  life,  and  sheds  a  lustre  over  the  retro- 
spect of  his  whole  career — just  as  the  setting  sun 
fl.ings  back  his  splendors  over  the  eastern  sky,  gild- 
ing every  cloud  and  mountain  height  of  the  broad 
landscape  with  a  mild,  celestial  glory. 

Fathers  and  brethren,  you  will  doubtless  unite 
with  me  in  the  expression  of  the  sentiment,  that  in 
the  review  of  our  course  on  earth  it  will  appear  to 
us  an  inestimable  privilege  to  have  been  permitted 
to  live  in  the  same  age  with  such  a  man  as  Adoni- 
ram  Jndson,  to  have  been  co-workers  in  an  enter- 


234:  Christian  Gtrkatness 

prise  so  worthy  to  fill  a  mind  and  heart  like  his, 
to  have  been  called  to  commemorate  a  life  so 
fruitful  in  immortal  deeds,  and  to  contemplate  a 
character  so  rich  in  the  elements  of  moral  great- 
ness. Sensible,  as  I  am,  how  inadequate  must  be 
an}^  eflfort  of  mine  to  portray  that  character  in  few 
words,  so  as  to  realize  your  own  conceptions  of 
what  he  was,  yet  I  am  impelled  to  undertake  it, 
because  the  occasion  demands  of  us  such  a  tribute 
to  his  memory  as  it  may  be  in  our  power  to  offer, 
because  from  the  abundance  of  the  heart  the  mouth 
will  speak  in  spite  of  conscious  weakness,  and  be- 
cause it  becomes  us  to  hold  up  to  the  view  of  all  so 
bright  an  example  of  the  graces  which  dignify  our 
nature,  of  the  heroism  which  true  religion  inspires, 
of  the  moral  grandeur  with  which  an  enlightened 
faith  invests  our  poor  fallen  humanity. 

To  a  philosophical  and  an  observing  mind  there 
is  much  that  is  interesting  in  the  study  of  human 
character,  under  whatever  phase  or  form  it  may 
appear,  whether  in  the  bad  or  the  good,  in  the 
pirate  or  the  saint,  in  the  monarch  or  the  beggar ; 
just  as  in  the  realm  of  natural  history  the  inquiring 
eye  will  find  a  lesson  in  the  structure  of  an  ele- 
phant or  a  worm,  in  the  life  and  habits  of  the  eagle 
that  soars  toward  the  sun,  or  of  the  insect  that  lies 
couched  in  the  bosom  of  a  flower.  But  then,  in 
looking  over  the  wide  domain  of  human  history, 
the  boundless  landscape  embracing  myriads  of 
active  beings  like  ourselves,  it  is  onlj^  here  and 
there,  at  distant  intervals,  that  we  see  looming  up 
to  view  a  character  of  marked  mdividuality  which 


In  the  Missionary.  235 


forcibly  arrests  our  attention,  concentrates  our 
thoughts  upon  itself,  challenges  our  homage  or  our 
hate,  and  by  its  great  achievements  kindles  within 
us  an  eager  curiosity  to  search  out  the  secret  of  its 
movement,  to  explore  the  interior  springs  wherein 
its  strength  has  lain.  Prophets,  apostles,  martyrs, 
lawgivers,  reformers,  projectors,  discoverers,  and 
successful  leaders  in  the  path  of  enterprise  consti- 
tute a  class  of  heroic  men  whom  nations  delight  to 
honor ;  and  if  all  of  these  who  have  appeared  in 
the  course  of  ages  were  gathered  into  a  single  com- 
pany, they  would  seem  but  as  a  diminutive  group 
compared  with  the  teeming  populations  of  the 
globe.  Each  one  of  them  who  serves  his  race 
faithfully,  finds  his  place  of  eminence,  not  by  court- 
ing fame,  but  by  doing  his  own  life-work  in  that 
spirit  of  self-forgetfulness  which  is  essential  to  true 
humility ;  and  then,  when  he  is  seen  to  have  coped 
with  appalling  difficulties,  to  have  trampled  down 
great  temptations,  to  have  baffled  mighty  adversa- 
ries, and  to  have  accomplished  what  sages  pro- 
nounced to  be  impossible,  the  power  of  his  charac- 
ter is  felt  universally,  and  his  example  rises  like  a 
star  in  the  moral  firmament  to  shed  its  radiance  on. 
the  path  of  succeeding  generations. 

]^ow,  in  looking  back  upon  the  course  of  the 
half  century  which  has  just  been  completed,  our 
eyes  rest  on  Dr.  Judson  as  a  distinguished  charac- 
ter ;  and  he  first  draws  our  attention  while  in  the 
prime  of  life,  as  a  Christian  philanthropist  rising- 
superior  to  the  prevailing  spirit  of  his  times,  to  the 
opinions  both  of  the  church  and  the  world  around 


236  Christian  Greatness 


him,  proposing  to  himself  an  object  which  but  few 
could  then  appreciate,  and  pursuing  it  with  a  stead- 
iness of  purpose  commensurate  with  its  dignity. 
Scarcely  had  he  received  Christianity  as  a  divine 
revelation  ere  he  saw  that  Christ  had  committed 
the  evangelization  of  the  heathen  world  as  a  sacred 
trust  to  his  disciples  ;  and  no  sooner  had  he  admit- 
ted this  conviction  than  he  hastened  to  realize  it  in 
action.  The  recorded  words  of  Christ's  last  com- 
mission swayed  his  decisions  as  effectually  as  if  he 
had  stood  with  the  Eleven  on  Mount  Olivet,  as  if 
lie  had  heard  them  pronounced  with  the  voice  of 
authority,  and  had  fallen  prostrate  in  worship  at 
the  feet  of  the  heavenly  majesty.  Had  he,  like 
John  at  Patmos,  been  visited  by  an  angel  directly 
from  the  skies,  flashing  celestial  splendors  around 
him,  and  repeating  the  written  mandate  as  with  the 
trump  of  God,  he  could  not  have  felt  more  strongly 
the  obligations  that  rested  upon  him,  he  could  not 
have  obeyed  with  more  alacrity,  nor  moved  forward 
in  his  rugged  pathway  with  a  step  more  unfaltering. 
It  is  not  wonderful,  therefore,  that  to  the  eye  of 
a  distant  observer  he  should  have  appeared  simply 
as  a  "  man  of  faith,"  pressing  forward  in  his  adven- 
turous race  of  lite  under  the  impelling  power  of 
that  one  mighty  "principle.  But  a  clearer  view  of 
his  history,  a  comparison  of  one  part  with  another, 
will  make  it  evident  that  he  was  distinguished  not 
so  much  by  the  simplicity  and  strength  of  his  faith, 
although  that  faith  acted  with  an  intensity  which 
kindled  his  affections  into  a  glow  of  enthusiasm, 
and  subordinated  all  the  passions  of  his  nature  to 


In  the  Missionary.  237 


itself,  as  by  the  comUnation  of  his  faith  with  a  cool 
practical  judgment,  which  qualified  him  wisely  to 
select  the  means  adapted  to  his  chosen  ends ;  and 
also,  by  the  union  of  that  faculty  of  judgment  to  a 
strong  executive  will,  which  enabled  him  to  carry 
out  his  far-reaching  plans  to  their  issues,  with  a 
determination  that  no  obstacles  could  daunt,  with 
a  patience  that  no  disappointment  could  exhaust. 
As  it  has  been  justly  said  of  ^N^apoleon,  that  he 
united  in  himself  the  calm,  calculating  power  that 
belongs  to  the  Northern  temperament  with  the 
enthusiastic  ardor  and  fervid  imagination  that 
belong  to  the  Southern,  so  that  his  style  of  action 
was  in  keeping  with  the  grandeur  of  his  concep- 
tions, it  may  be  said  with  equal  truth  of  -our  ven- 
erated leader  in  the  missionary  warfare,  that  he 
combined  the  enthusiasm  of  faith  with  such  a  clear, 
serene  judgment,  and  w4th  such  a  manly  energy  of 
will,  as  fitted  him  to  grapple  with  seeming  impossi- 
bilities, to  ^'  speak  of  things  which  were  not  as 
though  they  were,"  and  to  bring  to  an  undertaking 
which  required  for  its  success  the  interpositions  of 
Omnipotence  the  same  apt  and  careful  forethought 
as  would  befit  the  cabinet  of  the  statesman,  the 
camp  of  the  warrior,  or  any  arduous  work  that  lay 
within  the  scope  of  human  enterprise. 

Wherever  these  interior  elements  of  character 
become  subordinate  to  some  one  grand  conception, 
they  always  produce  that  degree  of  perseverance 
amidst  diflBculties,  which,  in  the  retrospect  of  a 
long  series  of  actions,  gives  an  impression  of  dra- 
matic unity  to  the  life,  and  awakens  in  us  the  emo- 


238  Christian  Gkkatkess 


tion  of  sublimity.  In  every  age  the  epic  muse  has 
found  her  choicest  themes  in  the  struggles  of  the 
good  and  brave  who  have  pursued  some  noble  aim 
against  adverse  fortunes,  and  have 

•'  plucked  success 


Ev'n  from  the  spear-proof  crest  of  rugged  danger." 

When  we  pore  over  the  story  of  Christopher  Co- 
lumbus, who,  in  his  early  solitary  musings,  vividly 
conceived  of  this  new  world  as  lying  beyond  un- 
known seas,  and  resolved  to  seek  it,  that  he  might 
rear  upon  it  the  banner  of  the  Cross,  how  deeply 
are  our  hearts  stirred  within  us  while  we  see  the 
constancy  with  which  he  "watched  thereunto  with 
all  perseverance ;"  how  he  met  the  objections  of 
titled  ignorance ;  how  he  bore  ridicule ;  how  he 
rendered  misfortune  subservient  to  his  work  ;  how 
he  sustained  the  rebukes  of  priestly  pride  and 
courtly  arrogance  ;  how  he  sought  aid  from  princes 
and  welcomed  the  sympathy  of  the  poor ;  how  he 
prayed  for  help  from  on  high  and  cast  himself  on 
the  care  of  Providence  as  he  steered  his  bark 
through  many  a  tedious  vigil  of  the  night  across 
the  boisterous  deep !  He  appeared  like  other  men 
in  scenes  of  business,  in  conversation,  and  in 
action,  but  his  one  great  object  was  ever  present  to 
his  thoughts,  and  in  spite  of  neglect,  of  disappoint- 
ment, of  ingratitude,  in  spite  of  opposing  storms 
and  threatening  death,  he  persevered  and  conquered. 
His  eyes  beheld  the  promised  land,  and  his  great 
mission  for  mankind  was  accomplished,  i^ot  less 
worthy  of  admiration  for  his  dauntless  perseverance 


In  the  Missionary.  239 


is  he  who  left  the  home  of  his  youth  to  plant  the 
standard  of  the  Cross  in  the  stronghold  of  Gaudama ; 
who  formed  his  plans  in  the  solitude  of  his  closet ; 
who  derived  but  little  aid  from  the  counsels  of 
experienced  age;  who  felt  no  genial  sympathy  of 
public  sentiment  quickening  the  pulsations  of  his 
heart ;  but  who,  like  another  Columbus,  went  forth 
in  the  night  of  adversity,  guided  only  by  tlie  lights 
of  Heaven,  and  shaping  his  course  by  those  eternal 
truths  which  God  had  set  as  stars  in  the  firmament 
of  revelation  to  throw  their  gleams  along  a  path- 
less waste. 

And  here  it  becomes  us  to  acknowledge  with 
devout  gratitude  his  habitual  reverence  for  the 
authority  of  GocVs  Word ;  the  great  controlling 
power  which  was  exerted  over  a  mind  of  such 
mighty  energies,  by  its  clear  apprehension  of  the 
momentous  principle  that  the  Bible  alone  is  the 
supreme  and  sufficient  rule  of  faith  for  all  in  mat- 
ters of  religion.  For  that  religious  sentiment 
which  is  an  essential  element  of  human  nature, 
when  it  predominates  in  a  man  of  strong  character, 
becomes  an  impulsive  force  that  works  out  immense 
results  of  good  or  evil,  according  to  the  direction 
which  it  takes ;  and,  unless  it  be  enlightened  and 
guided  by  the  oracles  of  God,  is  likely  to  render 
any  one  who  possesses  more  than  ordinary  intellect 
and  passion  a  prodigy  of  superstition  or  fanaticism. 
Its  eifects  are  varied  by  the  opinions  and  spirit  of 
the  times ;  in  one  age  it  produces  monasticism,  in 
another  crusades,  in  another  inquisitions:  now  it 
forms  its  votary  into  a  Simon  Stylites  earning  hea- 


240  Christian  Greatness 

ven  by  penance  and  beggary,  now  into  a  Peter  the 
Hermit  summoning  the  faithful  unto  battle,  and 
now  again  into  a  Torquemada  purging  the  earth 
from  heresy  by  fire  and  blood.  In  studying  the 
lives  of  men,  we  are  often  astonished  to  see  how  an 
obscure  event  becomes  a  crisis  of  history.  The 
flight  of  a  bird  from  the  mouth  of  a  cave,  saving 
Mohammed  from  the  sword  of  his  enemies,  affected 
the  destiny  of  millions ;  and  but  for  the  seemingly 
accidental  conversations  of  Loyola  at  Paris,  the 
renowned  Xavier  wonld  probably  have  yielded  to 
the  power  of  Luther's  influence,  and  have  become 
a  champion  of  the  Protestant  faith.  Who  can  tell 
how  different  from  what  it  was  would  have  been 
the  earthly  career  of  Dr.  Judson,  how  different  the 
color  and  complexion  of  his  character,  had  he  not 
been  led  in  the  very  prime  of  his  manhood  to  form 
just  conceptions  of  the  religion  revealed  in  the 
New  Testament,  to  yield  his  whole  soul  to  its 
supreme  authority,  and  to  cling  with  all  the  affec- 
tions of  his  ardent  nature  to  • '  the  simplicity  that 
is  in  Christ?"  A  soul  like  his,  touched  with  a 
spark  of  some  "  strange  fire,"  and  inflamed  with 
zeal  for  some  false  system,  might  have  become  an- 
other St.  Francis  founding  a  new  order  of  ascetics, 
or  another  Loyola  training  a  new  school  of  courtly 
propagandists,  or  another  Xavier  traversing  India 
with  a  lofty  martyr-spirit  to  teach  the  crucifix 
rather  than  the  cross,  to  convert  nations  by  sacra- 
ments rather  than  the  gospel.  But  we  have  rea- 
son, on  this  occasion,  to  bless  the  Father  of  lights 
for  the  grace  bestowed  on  his  servant,  that  in  the 


In  TiiE  Missionary.  241 

day  of  doubt  and  iiiquiiy,  -wlien  he  was  feeling 
after  truth,  if  haply  he  might  find  it,  the  word  of 
inspiration  was  made  known  to  him  as  a  divine 
counsellor,  the  oracle  of  his  faith,  the  conservative 
and  guiding  rule  of  hiB  conduct;  that  he  "  rejoiced 
in  its  testimonies  more  than  in  all  riches,"  and 
that  he  counted  nothing  dear  to  him,  so  that  he 
might  give  to  pagan  millions  those  recorded  mes- 
sages which  are  as  leaves  from  the  tree  of  life  for 
the  healing  of  the  nations.  If,  in  a  coming  age, 
some  Allston  should  wish  to  employ  his  pencil  in 
picturing  forth  a  single  action  that  should  express 
at  once  the  great  aim,  the  chosen  means,  and  the 
true  spirit  of  the  modern  missionary  enterprise,  he 
could  scarcely  select  a  more  fitting  scene  than  that 
which  Heaven  witnessed  with  a  smile,  when  Ado- 
niram  Judsoii  was  seen  kneeling  by  the  side  of  that 
table  over  which  he  had  long  bent  his  frame  in 
studious  application,  holding  in  his  hand  the  last 
leaf  of  the  Burman  Bible,  with  his  eyes  uplifted, 
and  Avith  a  countenance  radiant  with  joy,  thanking 
God  that  his  life  had  been  spared  to  achieve  this 
work,  and  imploring  the  Divine  Spirit  to  make  the 
silent  page  a  messenger  of  life  to  many. 

The  leading  features  of  Dr.  Judson's  character, 
when  we  regard  him  as  a  public  man,  have  an 
aspect  of  such  stern  and  simple  grandeur  that  they 
throw  into  the  shade  those  delicate  traits  which  dis- 
closed themselves  to  the  eyes  of  all  who  knew  him 
in  social  and  domestic  life.  Indeed,  the  higher 
qualities  of  which  we  have  spoken  are  rarely  found 
in    intimate  union  with    the    gentler  virtues,  with 


242  Chejstian  Greatness 

that  •  childlike  tenderness,  that  genial  sympathy, 
that  nice  regard  to  the  sensibilities  of  others,  which 
throw  a  charm  around  the  scenes  of  home  and  the 
circles  of  friendship.  We  are*  never  surprised  to 
learn  that  these  are  utterly  wanting  in  men  of  iron 
sinew,  formed  for  daring  and  endurance.  Just  as 
when  we  have  gazed  upon  some  lofty  mountain 
that  towers  sublimely  to  the  skies,  it  seems  not 
strange  if,  on  a  close  survey,  the  fine  proportions 
and  the  beauty  of  outlines  shall  have  vanislied,  so 
that  we  can  touch  nothing:  but  ruo^o^ed  rocks  and 
tangled  thickets.  But  to  find  the  ascent  of  an  Alp- 
ine height  enriched  with  fruits  and  flowers,  with 
sheltering  vines,  refreshing  springs,  and  singing 
birds,  must  fill  the  breast  of  every  beholder  with  a 
sentiment  of  pleasing  wonder.  A  kindred  emotion 
has,  doubtless,  been  awakened  in  the  hearts  of 
many  who  have  long  contemplated  Dr.  Judson 
from  a  distant  point  of  view,  and  have  afterward 
been  favored  with  opportunities  of  personal  inter- 
course. Tlien  it  has  been  seen  that  the  elements  of 
Ills  nature  were  admirably  balanced,  that  his  social 
affections  were  commensurate  with  his  intellectual 
powers,  and  that  his  many-sided  mind  tilled  a  wide 
sphere  of  being.  Of  him  it  could  not  be  justly 
said,  as  it  once  was  of  an  eminent  moral  philoso- 
l^her,  that  he  loved  man  in  general,  but  no  human 
being  in  particular ; .  nay,  his  heart  was  a  Avell- 
spring  of  tender  affections,  his  eye  took  within  its 
.scope  the  whole  wide  range  of  human  relationships, 
and  he  was  sensitively  alive  to  the  happiness  of  all 
ta-ound  him.     In  this  respect  he  resembled  his  Di- 


In  the  Missionary.  243 

vine  Master,  who,  while  on  eartli,  although  he  was 
employed  in  a  mission  that  involved  the  eternal 
destinies  of  a  fallen  race,  could  find  congenial  joys 
in  the  friendship  of  Martha,  Mary,  and  Lazarus, 
and  who,- amidst  the  agonies  of  the  cross,  could 
commend  tho  temporal  welfare  of  his  mother  to 
"that  disciple  whom  he  loved." 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  proper  to  observe 
that  in  regard  to  the  social  qualities  of  Dr.  Judson, 
his  susceptibility  of  the  pleasures  of  friendship,  his 
powers  of  conversation,  his  combination  of  mental 
energy  with  the  most  winning  gentleness  of  expres- 
sion, many  of  us  received  impressions,  during  his 
sojourn  in  this  country,  which  could  have  been  im- 
parted by  no  study  of  his  history,  by  no  sketch, 
however  vivid  and  graphical.  Whensoever  we  see 
a  man  who  is  distinguished  for  singleness  of  aim, 
we  are  often  struck  with  a  certain  eloquence  of 
'manners  which  can  not  be  described,  and  which 
when  found  to  be  in  keeping  with  the  tenor  of  his 
life,  discloses  the  heart  more  truthfully  than  the 
best  efforts  of  the  pencil  or  the  pen.  The  evan- 
gelist Luke  seems  to  allude  to  the  impression  of 
character  made  by  the  personal  appearance  of  our 
Lord,  in  a  single  phrase  which  Dr.  Campbell  has 
translated,  "  he  was  adorned  with  a  divine  grace- 
fulness." The  soul  reveals  itself  not  only  in  words, 
but  in  the  tones  of  the  voice,  in  the  animated  coun- 
tenance, in  the  kindling  eye,  in  eveiy  feature,  in 
every  movement.  Although  it  may  not  be  safe  to 
judge  of  men  by  the  outward  appearance  merely, 
yet  there  are  signs  of  character  which  are  seldom 


24:4:  Christian  Greatness 

mistaken,  which  no  art  can  counterfeit,  and  which 
make  impressions  that  we  can  neither  resist  nor 
erase.  And  no  one,  probably,  has  been  permitted 
to  enjoy  Dr.  Judson's  society,  and  especially  to 
kneel  with  him  while  conducting  the  worship  of  a 
family,  who  has  not  left  his  presence  with  some 
new  conviction  of  the  depth  of  his  piety,  of  the 
breadth  of  his  philanthropy,  of  his  childlike  humility 
as  a  Christian,  and  of  his  real  greatness  as  a  man. 
]^or  can  we  omit  to  notice,  while  we  consider 
the  variety  of  situations  in  which  our  departed  mis- 
sionary was  placed,  the  versatility  of  his  talents, 
which  enabled  him  to  be  at  ease  and  at  home  in 
every  position  which  he  was  called  to  occupy. 
Every  one  who  has  considered  the  subject  is  well 
aware  that  the  qualitications  requisite  for  a  trans- 
lator of  the  Scrijjtures  into  a  foreign  language 
embrace  a  wide  sphere  of  acquisitions.  As  a 
scholar  and  a  critic,  Dr.  Judson  did  not  allow  him- 
self to  fall  behind  the  advancing  spirit  of  his  times  ; 
and,  if  we  may  credit  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Craw- 
furd,  the  English  envoy  to  the  court  of  Ava,  who 
had  ample  means  of  judging,  he  liad  no  superior 
in  the  empire  as  a  thorough  master  of  the  Burman 
language  and  literature.  At  the  same  >time,  his 
knowledge  of  the  world,  of  men  and  things  around 
him,  his  wide  scope  of  thought,  and  his  powers  of 
communication,  gave  a  particular  vtilue  to  all  his 
opinions  on  matters  of  secular  interest,  and  com- 
manded the  respect  of  the  most  distinguished  men 
with  whom  he  was  led  to  associate  in  private  and 
in  public  life. 


In  the  Missionary.  245 


J^otwitlistandiiig  repeated  attacks  of  disease,  it 
was  his  cherished  hope,  as  it  was  also  that  of  his 
friends,  that  his  days  would  have  been  prolonged, 
that  he  would  have  been  permitted  to  finish  the 
works  which  had  long  tasked  his  pen,  and  give 
himself  to  the  ministry  of  the  word  without  inter- 
ruption. Whensoever  w.e  have  thought  of  his  ripe 
experience,  liis  familiarity  with  the  language,  cus- 
toms, and  mental  habitudes  of  the  Burman  people, 
we  had  fondly  imagined  with  what  zeal  and  effect 
he  would  consecrate  his  advancing  age  to  the  work 
of  oral  teaching.  But  this  pleasing  picture,  which 
glowed  before  the  imagination  in  such  lively  colors, 
has  been  suddenly  marred.  In  the  sight  of  God 
his  work  was  done,  and  he  was  called  to  his  rest. 
Yet  so  intent  was  his  soul  uj^on  that  work,  that 
the  voice  of  the  summons  w^hich  bade  him  away 
fell  upon  the  ears  of  anxious  friends  sooner  than 
upon  his  own.  But  when  it  was  heard  by  him, 
how  cordially  was  it  welcomed !  He  was  ready. 
To  him,  death  came  not  as  the  "king  of  terrors," 
but  as  a  commissioned  servant  to  conduct  him 
home.  He  has  fought  a  good  fight,  he  has  finished 
his  course,  he  has  kept  the  faith,  he  has  died  in 
triumph.  The  veteran  soldier  sleeps  in  his  chosen 
sepulchre.  They  laid  him  in  the  ocean  bed  where 
none  can  break  his  repose.  They  could  write  no 
epitaph,  they  could  raise  no  memorial,  but  they 

"  left  him  alone  in  his  glory," 

where  the  winds  shall  moan  his  requiem  until  the 
last  trump  shall  sound,  and  the  sea  shall  yield  up 
its  treasured  trusts. 


246  Cfirtstian  Greatness 

And  now,  fathers  and  brethren,  while  we  com- 
memorate the  life  and  character  of  our  venerated 
missionary,  let  us  open  our  hearts  to  the  lessons 
suggested  by  this  occasion ;  and  especially  let  it 
be  ours  to  apprehend  more  vividly  the  nature  of 
THAT  MORAL  HEROISM  whicli  he  SO  Hobly  exemplified, 
and  which  befits  the  period  in  which  we  live.  In 
the  classic  ages  of  the  past,  the  epithet  heroic  was 
applied  only  to  those  who  achieved  deeds  of  mar- 
tial valor.  The  verse  of  Milton  has  well  expressed 
that  truth  : 

'•  Conquerors  who  leave  behind 
Nothing  but  ruin  Avheresoe'er  they  rove, 
And  all  the  flourishing  works  of  peace  destroy, 
Then  swell  with  pride,  and  must  be  titled  gods, 
Great  benefactors  of  mankind,  deliverers, 
Worshiped  with  temple,  priest,  and  sacrifice." 

The  usages  of  language  illustrate  mental  history, 
and  the  application  of  the  idea  of  heroism  to  grand 
projects  of  benevolence,  to  the  champions  and 
martyrs  of  Truth,  designates  the  era  of  Christianity. 
The  thought  gleamed  on  the  mind  of  Kapoleon 
amid  the  reflections  of  his  exile,  and  was  nttered 
in  those  weighty  sentences  which  he  addressed  to 
the  Count  de  Montholon  while  at  St.  Helena. 
*'  The  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  is  a  mystery  which 
subsists  by  its  own  force,  and  proceeds  from  a 
mind  which  is  not  a  human  mind.  We  find  in  it  a 
marked  individuality,  which  originated  a  train  of 
words  and  actions  unknown  before.  Jesus  is  not  a 
philosopher,  for  his  proofs  are  miracles,  and  from 
the   first   his    disciples    adored    him.     Alexander, 


In  the  Missionary.  247 


Caesar,  Charlemagne,  and  m3^self,  founded  empires  ; 
but  on  what  foundation  did  we  rest  the  creations 
of  our  genius  ?  Upon  force.  Jesus  Christ  founded 
an  empire  upon  love,  and  at  this  hour  millions  of 
men  would  die  for  him !  I  die  before  my  time, 
and  my  body  will  be  given  back  to  the  earth,  to 
become  food  for  worms.  Such  is  the  fate  of  him 
who  has  been  called  the  great  Napoleon.  What 
an  abyss  between  my  deep  mystery  and  the  eter- 
nal kingdom  of  Christ,  which  is  proclaimed,  loved, 
and  adored,  and  is  extending  over  the  whole  earth  !" 
"Wonderful  words  to  be  spoken  by  those  imperial 
lips !  They  reveal  the  truth  of  things  as  it  must 
appear  in  the  light  of  eternal  realities.  Is  it  not 
possible,  think  you,  that  the  martial  hero  who  ut- 
tered them  may  have  wished,  as  he  awoke  to  a 
calm  retrospective  view  of  his  course,  that  he  had 
acted  a  more  Chrisiian  part  in  the  great  drama  of 
life,  and  that  other  words  than  these  had  sounded 
the  key-note  of  his  moral  history  ?  Whatever  may 
have  been  his  secret  wish,  we  welcome  his  testi- 
mony as  a  tribute  of  honor  to  the  enterprise  which 
unites  our  hearts,  to  the  heroism  which  true  philan- 
thropy inspires,  and  to  tlie  character  of  a  man  like 
him  whose  aims  and  deeds  we  here  devoutly  cele- 
brate. 

Yet  let  us  remember  that  it  belongs  not  to  the 
missionary  alone  to  cherish  and  develop  this  he- 
roic spirit  in  some  distant  land  or  some  conspicuous 
sphere.  In  the  early  ages  it  gave  a  lofty  tone  to 
whole  communities  of  Christians ;  it  was  breathed 
forth  in  their  social  intercourse,  in  their  daily  pur- 


'MS  Christian  Greatness 

suits,  in  their  style  of  life  and  conduct.  But  in 
our  time  tlie  genius  of  enterprise,  even  among  "  the 
sons  of  the  church,"  needs  a  new  baptism  from  on 
high.  Their  hardy  courage,  their  spirit  of  adven- 
ture and  of  self-denial,  must  be  hallowed  by  a  loft- 
ier aim.  In  the  pursuit  of  perishable  wealth  they 
put  forth  mighty  efforts  which  would  take  on  an 
aspect  of  heroism,  if  they  were  subordinated  to  a 
worthy  moral  object.  For  the  sake  of  gain  they 
are  willing  to  become  exiles  from  home,  to  under- 
take the  most  arduous  pilgrimages,  to  brave  the 
perils  of  the  stormy  deep  or  gloomy  desert,  to  dare 
the  blasts  which  sweep  over  the  icy  solitudes  of  the 
north,  if  they  may  but  rob  wild  beasts  of  their 
costly  furs,  or  risk  life  amid  the  malaria  of  Africa 
if  they  may  but  pick  up  gold-dust  from  her  burning 
sands.  In  the  pursuit  of  wealth  the  mind  embold- 
ens itself  to  meet  the  march  of  pestilence,  and 
infection  seems  to  have  been  disarmed  of  its  terrors. 
For  this  end  families,  too,  are  broken  up  and  scat- 
tered over  the  earth  ;  one  makes  his  home  on  the 
ocean,  another  in  India,  another  in  the  mines  of 
California,  and  a  fourth  seeks  his  fortune  in  the 
new  ports  of  the  Pacific.  With  what  inflexible 
will  do  they  wrestle  with  difiiculty,  with  disease, 
with  the  pains  of  absence,  with  bitter  disappoint- 
ments ;  and  oh,  how  elevated  and  ennobled  would 
be  the  elements  of  such  enduring  character  if  they 
were  truh^  consecrated  to  the  interests  of  the  Mes- 
siah's kingdom,  and  were  thus  made  subservient  to 
the  real  progress  of  humanity!  And  surely,  in 
these  latter  days,  while  "  the  signs  of  the  times" 


In  the  Missionary.  249 


beckon  us  on  to  bolder  attemj^ts  in  the  great  battle 
which  has  long  been  waged  with  the  powers  of 
darkness,  "with  spiritual  wickedness  in  high  pla- 
ces," now,  when  mountains  fall  and  valleys  rise 
before  the  march  of  Science,  so  that  our  antipodes 
become  our  neighbors — now,  when  America,  which 
was  but  lately  at  the  very  ''ends  of  the  earth,"  is 
rising  up  to  be  a  great  central  power,  stretching 
forth  her  gigantic  arms  to  reach  the  continent  of 
Asia  on  the  one  side  and  the  continent  of  Europe 
on  the  other,  the  chief  want  of  the  times  is  a  manly, 
generous.  Christian  public  spirit,  which  shall  per- 
form heroic  deeds  amid  the  stir  and  din  of  secu- 
lar business,  and  aim  to  subordinate  the  realms  of 
Agriculture,  of  Commerce,  of  Art,  of  Literature, 
and  of  Labor  to  the  grand  design  of  Christianity 
in  the  renovation  of  our  fallen  world. 

Last  of  all,  let'  us  resolve,  with  a  firm  faith  in  the 
promised  agency  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  to  carryfor- 
ward the  worh  wJiich  has  heen  so  well  hegun  hy  those 
who  have  gone  before  us.  Let  it  be  our  prayer,  that 
tlie  mantles  of  the  ascending  prophets  may  fall  on 
worthy  successors,  until  that  favored  generation 
come  who  shall  celebrate  the  universal  triumph  of 
the  Redeemer. 

It  is  deserving  of  remark  that,  after  a  long  lapse 
of  ages,  it  has  devolved  on  the  men  of  the  last  cen- 
tury to  push  forward  the  conquests  of  the  Cross 
among  the  older  nations  of  the  world,  beyond  those 
eastern  lands  which  had  bounded  the  progress  of 
Christianity  in  the  days  of  the  Apostles.  Wonder- 
ful as  were  the  victories  of  our  religion  in  the  first 


250  Chkistian  Greatness 

century,  thev  scarcely  reached  beyond  the  domin- 
ion of  the  Csesars,  which  was  then  called  "  the 
whole  world."  Yet  far  beyond  it,  stretching  east- 
ward, lay  the  older  Pagan  countries  overspread  by 
Boodhism  and  Brahminism ;  and  these  were  left, 
as  they  had  been  long  before,  from  time  immemo- 
rial. Afterward,  when  Constantine  established 
Christianity  as  the  religion  of  the  State,  it  became 
a  territorial  creed,  hemmed  in  by  the  boundaries 
of  the  empire.  And  thus  it  has,  in  a  great  degree, 
remained,  until  the  missionary  spirit  of  modern 
times  took  up  the  work  nearly  at  the  point  where 
it  was  left  by  the  last  of  the  Apostles,  and  won 
new  trophies  in  those  old  domains  of  Boodh  and 
Brahma. 

With  this  fact  in  view,  we  can  not  but  be  struck 
with  an  analogy  between  the  progress  of  science 
and  Christianity.  It  was  at  the  close  of  the  first 
century  of  the  Christian  era  that  the  Emperor  Tra- 
jan, having  beaten  back  the  nortliern  barbarians 
beyond  the  Danube,  engaged  in  the  work  of  extend- 
ing the  improvements  of  civilization  and  the  arts 
of  peace  in  those  dreary  regions.  Among  the  me- 
morials of  his  reign,  travelers  have  beheld  with 
admiration  the  remains  of  a  ship  canal,  cut  through 
the  solid  rock,  around  the  rapids  of  that  noble  river. 
But  at  the  death  of  Trajan  the  work  was  left  unfin- 
ished, and  for  seventeen  hundred  years  has  remain- 
ed in  that  condition.  The  empire  had  then  reached 
its  culminating  point ;  its  energies  were  spent ;  it 
had  begun  to  decline  and  fall,  and  it  had  no  power 
or    resources   adequate  to  the  completion  of  the 


In  the  Misstonary.  251 


plans  which  Trajan  had  projected.  Beneath  the 
tramp  of  barbarian  hordes  Koman  civilization  lay 
crushed  during  revolving  centuries,  and  the  chisel- 
ed rocks  bore  witness  of  a  fallen  empire  unable 
to  finish  what  it  had  begun.  But  under  the  auspi- 
ces of  Christianit}'-,  Art  and  Science  have  plumed 
their  wings  anew,  to  go  forth  and  repair  the  old 
and  desolate  wastes.  Within  the  meniory  of  living 
men,  an  impetus  has  been  given  to  the  world's  af- 
fairs by  means  of  which  the  enterprise  of  Trajan 
has  lately  received  its  finishing  stroke.  That  im- 
pulse came  forth,  not  from  the  banks  of  the  Tiber, 
but  of  the  Hudson ;  and  the  invention  of  Robert 
Fulton  has  achieved  the  significant  result.  Thus, 
too,  has  it  been  in  the  history  of  Christianity.  The 
men  of  our  own  times  have  been  called  to  set  their 
hands  to  the  work  of  God,  just  where  its  early  her- 
alds left  it,  and  have  urged  forward  the  triumphs 
of  our  religion  beyond  those  borders  which  marked 
the  termination  of  her  first  victorious  career.  The 
new  impulse  has  proceeded,  not  from  Home,  or 
Constantinople,  but  from  London,  from  New  York, 
from  Boston,  and  from  the  chief  seats  of  Christian- 
ized Anglo-Saxon  power. 

Seeing,  then,  that  brightening  signs  indicate  an 
accelerated  progress  of  the  Messiah's  kingdom — ■ 
that  the  voice  of  Providence  is  summoning  us  re- 
newedly  to  be  co-workers  in  this  glorious  cause — 
let  us  devoutly  aim  to  do  our  life-work  faithfully, 
to  follow  in  the  steps  of  those  "  who,  through  faith 
and  patience,  have  inherited  the  promises."  Let 
it  be  ours  to  bear  a  part  in  the  fulfillment  of  those 


252  Christian  Gkeatnkss  in  the  Missionary. 

old  prophecies  which  have  long  shed  hopeful 
gleams  across  the  night  of  ages,  that  thus  we  may 
be  prepared  to  unite  in  those  heavenly  anthems 
that  shall  celebrate  the  final  triumph  of  the  Ke- 
deemer,  unto  whom  "shall  the  gathering  of  the 
people  be." 


CHRISTIAN  GREATNESS 


THE    STATESMAN 

OCCASIONED  BY  THE  DEATH  OF  THE 

HON.  JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS. 


CHRISTIAN  GREATNESS 


THE    STATESMAN 


JOB  V.  26. 

Thou  Shalt  come  to  thy  grave  in  a  full  age,  like  as  a  shock  of  corn  cometh  in  his 


This  declaration  of  an  Eastern  sage,  touching  the 
aspect  of  sublimity,  beauty,  and  fitness  which  in- 
vests the  termination  of  a  protracted,  upright,  and 
useful  life,  was  suggested  to  us  by  the  last  words 
of  that  venerable  man  and  renowned  statesman, 
the  intelligence  of  whose  death  cast  a  pall  of  gloom 
over  this  nation,  and  awakened  in  millions  of  hearts 
a  sense  of  painful  bereavement.  He  fell,  struck  by 
the  hand  of  death  in  the  ^place  of  his  own  choice, 
in  the  hall  of  legislation,  in  the  service  of  his  coun- 
try ;  and  as  he  recognized  the  stealthy,  fatal  stroke 
of  the  dread  messenger  who  came  to  summon  him 
away,  he  had  only  power  to  express  his  conviction 
of  the  fact  by  exclaiming,    "This  is  the  last  of 


256  Christian  Greatness 


eartli — I  am  content"  JSTo  similar  event  could 
have  produced  a  sensation  so  profound  as  this  ;  the 
business  of  Congress  was  suspended,  the  avocations 
of  common  life  throughout  the  city  were  inter- 
rupted, all  amusements  ceased,  all  local  and  party 
feelings  were  merged  in  the  general  grief,  and  from 
the  Capitol  to  the  circumference  of  this  country,  one- 
chord  of  patriotic  sympathy  was  touched  and  made 
to  vibrate  in  mournful  response  to  the  blow  which 
smote  down  a  chief  leader  of  the  people,  and  extin- 
guished one  of  the  ruling  lights  in  our  moral  hem- 
isphere. 

It  would  not  be  right  to  allow  such  an  occasion 
to  pass  unimproved.  It  hath  its  voice.  To  give 
it  then  a  tongue  is  wise  in  us.  In  this  event  God 
speaks.  Great  men  are  his  gifts.  He  raises  them 
up  to  achieve  the  purposes  of  his  wisdom  and  his 
goodness.  The  mind  of  capacious  intellect,  of 
great  forecast,  of  nice  discernment,  connecting  the 
faculty  of  patient  attention  to  details  with  that  of 
splendid  philosophical  generalization,  illumined  by 
varied  knowledge,  united  to  a  heart  of  tender  sen- 
sibility ^nd  of  lofty  courage,  endowed  with  the  love 
of  truth,  honor,  rectitude,  together  with  well-bal- 
anced powers  of  conception  and  execution,  is  one 
of  the  noblest  objects  of  his  creation;  and  the 
fitting  combination  of  events  to  give  it  ample  verge 
and  scope  is  all  of  his  ordering.  The  removal  of 
such  gifted  men  from  the  earth  in  the  prime  of  life  or 
in  the  culmination  of  their  manly  strength,  is  often 
spoken  of  in  the  sacred  Scripture  as  a  severe  judg- 
ment on  any  people;  as  was  the  case  when  the 


In  the  Statesman.  257 


prophet  of  God  announced  a  nation's  doom  by  the 
threatening,  "  The  Lord  doth  take  away  from  Ju- 
dah  and  Jerusalem  the  stay  and  the  staff,  the  judge 
and  the  prophet,  the  prudent  and  the  honorable 
man,  the  counselor  and  the  eloquent  orator ;"  for 
then,  it  is  added,  "  children  shall  be  their  j^rinces, 
and  the  people  shall  be  oppressed."  When,  there- 
fore, we  see  a  man,  whom  the  people  all  "delight 
to  honor,"  in  whose  soul  patriotism  is  an  essential 
element  of  his  inner  life,  whose  tastes  and  gifts 
qualify  him  for  high  statesmanship,  whose  heart 
maintaineth  its  integrity,  who  walks  upon  the 
heights  of  power  with  serene  self-command,  who  is 
unseduced  by  flattery  and  undazzled  by  bribes, 
who  loves  peace,  and  yet  recoils  not  from  the  strife 
of  stormy  passions  if  the  voice  of  duty  call  him  to 
it,  who  blends  with  stern  gigantic  powers  a  sweet 
childlike  simplicity — when  w^e  see  such  a  man  pre- 
served to  his  country  through  times  of  trial,  and 
yielding  to  her  service  the  ardor  of  youth,  the 
strength  of  manhood,  the  maturity  of  age,  and  at 
last,  having  passed  beyond  the  bounds  which  have 
been  set  to  the  career  of  a  mortal  race,  bowing 
cheerful  assent  to  the  majestic  summons  which  bids 
him  away  from  the  scenes  of  his  toil  to  a  higher 
sphere  of  being,  we  can  not  but  acknowledge  and 
adore  the  Providence  which  so  long  spared  him  to 
the  world,  and  blessed  his  country  with  the  price- 
less heritage  of  his  character. 

Melancholy  as  is  the  day  w^hich  brings  home  to 
a  nation's  heart  a  sense  of  the  loss  sustained  by  the 
departure  of  such  a  chieftain,  yet  the  mind  can  not 


258  Christian  Greatness 


long  linger  to  pore  over  this  aspect  of  the  event. 
Recovering  from  the  first  shock  of  surprise  and 
grief,  it  is  naturally  led  to  contemplate  the  moral 
sublimity  of  such  a  death,  and  to  admire  that  di- 
vine benignity  which  ordered  a  termination  of  such 
impressive  beauty  to  a  life  so  eminently  instructive 
and  useful.  In  the  course  of  nature  every  thing  is 
beautiful  "in  its  season,"  the  bud  and  bloom  of 
Spring,  the  fall  of  the  fruit  in  Autumn,  the  garner- 
ing of  the  shock  of  corn  full  ripe.  So  when  the 
aims  and  purposes  of  life  have  been  fulfilled,  when 
the  exhausted  faculties  of  the  body  fail  through 
weakness  to  obey  the  behests  of  the  active  spirit, 
Death  has  the  natural  beauty  which  pertains  to  fit- 
ness, because  it  is  so  seasonable  ;  because,  however 
suddenly  it  may  come,  it  is  nevertheless  iimely. 

Although  the  history  of  the  deceased  ex-Presi- 
dent is  familiar  to  the  public  mind,  a  brief  review 
of  it  will  be  in  accordance  with  our  present  pur- 
pose. His  native  place  is  a  few  miles  from  Bos- 
ton, in  the  town  of  Quincy,  a  part  of  it  which  was 
formerly  included  within  the  bounds  of  Braintree. 
He  w^as  born  July  11th,  1767.  In  tracing  the 
course  of  one's  life  it  is  often  found  that  some  occa- 
sion of  early  youth  has  quickened  the  whole  emo- 
tive nature,  has  given  to  the  thoughts  their  chief 
direction,  and  a  permanent  complexion  to  the 
character.  One  event  appears  to  have  exerted  so 
mighty  an  influence  on  the  mind  of  young  Adams. 
This  was  the  first  public  reading  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence,  to  which  he  was  a  listener,  with 
rapt  attention,  when  a  boy  in  only  the  ninth  year 


In  thk  Statesman.  259 


of  his  age,  as  he  stood  amid  a  crowd  convened  be- 
fore the  old  Boston  State  House.  Its  principles 
were  congenial  with  the  spirit  of  his  mind,  and 
took  immediate  possession  of  his  heart.  To  him 
they  w^ere  no  vague  abstractions,  but  momentous 
truths  instinct  with  vitality  and  power.  They 
were  to  him  ever  afterward  "  the  lively  oracles" 
of  eternal  justice  and  true  humanity,  which  awoke 
an  echo  in  the  depths  of  his  conscience  ;  they  w^ere 
the  fundamental  positions  of  all  legitimate  and 
righteous  government,  essential  to  .the  peace  of  the 
world  and  the  progress  of  the  race.  He  lived  for 
these  principles ;  he  felt  that  to  aid  in  giving  them 
free  course  and  effectual  sway  was  the  main  work 
committed  to  him,  and  to  this  great  aim  he  was 
found  faithful  unto  death. 

In  the  year  1778,  before  young  Adams  was 
eleven  years  of  age,  he  embarked  for  France,  in 
company  with  his  father,  who  had  been  appointed 
a  commissioner  to  the  court  of  Versailles,  in  order 
to  obtain  a  recognition  of  our  IN'ational  Independ- 
ence. The  drift  of  events  favored  the  design  of 
this  commission,  so  that  Mr.  Adams  and  his  son 
returned  home  the  following  year.  After  the  brief 
interval  of  two  months,  however.  Congress  directed 
Mr.  Adams  to  return  to  Europe,  as  minister  pleni- 
potentiary, to  treat  for  peace  as  soon  as  Great 
Britain  should  become  disposed  to  bring  the  war  to 
an  end.  Again,  therefore,  the  father  embarked  for 
a  foreign  land,  taking  with  him  his  son,  John 
Quincy,  to  whom  a  residence  abroad  under  such 
auspicious  circumstances  was  of  inestimable  w^orth 


2  GO  Christian  Greatness 


as  a  part  of  bis  education,  preparing  him  as  it  did 
to  move  with  ease,  and  to  feel  at  home  in  tlie 
sphere  of  diplomacy,  wherein  he  afterward  yielded 
immense  service  to  his  country.  Two  years  after 
this  period  we  find  him  in  Russia,  acting  as  secre- 
tary of  legation,  under  Mr.  Dana,  minister  of  the 
United  States  to  the  court  of  St.  Petersburg.  It 
is  evident  that  his  mind  was  keenly  alive  to  the  les- 
sons which  were  suggested  by  passing  scenes  ;  for 
in  a  letter  addressed  to  him  by  his  excellent 
mother,  in  1T83,  she  takes  occasion  to  say,  "  The 
account  of  your  northern  journey,  and  your  observ- 
ation upon  the  Russian  government,  would  do 
credit  to  an  older  pen."  In  these  extraordinary 
advantages  conferred  on  one  so  youthful,  it  be- 
comes us  to  recognize  the  hand  of  Providence, 
training  him  up  for  his  great  work  of  diplomatic 
statesmanship.  The  stirring  scenes  through  which 
he  passed,  the  alarms  of  war,  the  perils  of  the  sea, 
infested  b}"  armed  foes,  the  sublime  aspects  of  na- 
ture which  he  contemplated,  the  intellectual  ex- 
citement of  Paris,  the  political  discussions  which 
were  then  so  keenly  agitated,  the  conversations  of 
Dr.  Franklin,  the  constant  care  of  a  venerated  pa- 
rent, all  combined  to  invest  him  with  those  rare 
influences  which  tended  to  quicken  the  energies  of 
his  nature  into  a  precocious  yet  healthful  develop- 
ment. At  that  early  period  he  attuned  his  ear  to 
foreign  languages,  made  himself  acquainted  with 
European  opinions,  habits,  and  manners,  and 
cherished  in  his  heart  a  profound  detestation  of  the 


In  the  Statesman.  261 

vices  and  the  despotisms  which  exhaust  the  life  of 
society  in  the  Old  World. 

Permitted  by  his  father  to  return  to  Massachu- 
setts in  1785,  he  entered  the  University  of  Cam- 
bridge, at  an  advanced  standing,  and  graduated  in 
1787,  at  twenty  years  of  age.  He  immediately 
commenced  the  study  of  law,  under  Chief  Justice 
Parsons,  of  ISTewburyport,  and  entered  upon  Ids 
professional  career  in  Boston,  at  the  end  of  the 
three  3^ears'  course. 

About  four  years  from  that  time,  in  1791:,  Mr. 
Adams  was  appointed,  by  President  Washington, 
resident  minister  near  the  court  of  the  United  Neth- 
erlands. He  remained  in  Europe  until  1801,  em- 
ployed in  executing  errands  of  diplomacy  in  En- 
gland and  Prussia,  and  as  a  public  minister  in 
Holland.  In  the  character  of  foreign  ambassa- 
dor, he  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  Washington,  who 
paid  him  the  tribute  of  the  highest  praise  for  the 
skill  and  the  success  with  which  he  discharged  his 
many  trusts. 

In  the  year  1802,  Mr.  Adams,  having  returned 
to  this  country,  was  elected  a  senator  of  Massachu- 
setts, and  in  the  year  following  became  a  senator 
in  Congress.  In  1806  he  accepted  a  professorship 
of  Rhetoric  in  the  University  at  Cambridge,  and 
delivered  a  course  of  lectures,  which  are  now  ex- 
tant in  a  published  volume.  He  resigned  his  seat 
in  Congress  before  his  term  expired,  and  in  1809 
was  nominated  by  Mr.  Madison  as  minister  to  Rus- 
sia.    He  was   abroad   during  the   last  war   with 


262  Christian  Gkeatness 


England,  and  was  one  of  the  commissioners  at 
Ghent  to  negotiate  a  treaty  of  peace. 

After  having  returned  to  this  country  he  became 
secretary  of  state,  under  President  Monroe,  and 
was  the  leading  spirit  of  his  administration.  In 
the  year  1824  he  was  elected  President  of  the 
United  States  by  a  vote  of  the  House  of  Kepre- 
sentatives.  In  that  exalted  station  he  displayed 
the  same  high  moral  qualities  as  had  distinguished 
him  in  narrower  spheres  of  action.  Divided  as  the 
people  of  this  country  w^ere,  by  feelings  of  tlie 
most  impassioned  partisanship,  he  rose  superior  to 
them  all.  No  local  or  clannish  prejudices  swayed 
his  official  appointments  ;  no  man  was  placed  under 
the  ban  of  proscription  for  his  political  sentiments, 
or  for  the  open  expression  of  them  ;  liberty  of 
thought  and  of  speech  were  honored  as  inalienable 
rights,  as  essential  eleriients  of  a  manly  character ; 
and  it  may  be  truly  said  that  the  administration  of 
John  Quincy  Adams  adorns  the  annals  of  American 
history,  and  commends  itself  to  the  grateful  remem- 
brance of  future  ages,  as  the  realization  of  a  lofty 
idea — even  of  that  pure,  high-souled  impartiality, 
which  becomes  the  chief  magistrate  of  a  nation, 
and  which  enters  into  every  just  conception  of  the 
dignity  that  belongs  to  that  exalted  office. 

Having  completed  one  presidential  term,  in  1829 
Mr.  Adams  returned  to  his  home  in  Quincy,  after 
nearly  forty  years  of  active  and  arduous  public 
service,  which  had  achieved  most  important  results 
in  the  history  of  our  republic.  But  "  his  eye  was 
not  dim,  nor  was  his  natural   force   abated."     A 


In  the  Statesman.  263 


mind  like  his  could  not  rest  in  indolence.  The  at- 
mosphere of  public  life  was  as  a  native  element, 
and  even  its  agitations  habit  had  made  more  con- 
genial than  quiet  inactivity.  In  this  he  was  a  won- 
der unto  many.  Just  as  the  mariner,  who  has  been 
educated  to  make  his  home  upon  the  stormy  deep, 
although  fortune  may  have  blessed  him  with  a 
quiet  retirement,  can  not  bring  his  tastes  to  har- 
monize with  the  dull  monotony,  but  welcomes 
again  the  excitement  of  his  ocean-life  with  all  its 
toils  and  perils — so  the  venerable  ex-President, 
with  a  physical  frame  kept  strong  by  manly  disci- 
pline and  "temperance,  with  a  mind  whose  joy  was 
in  activity,  welcomed  the  scenes  of  public  service, 
the  duties  of  legislation,  and  conferred  dignity  on 
the  office  of  the  people's  representative  by  accept- 
ing it  after  he  had  enjoyed  the  highest  honors 
which  his  country  could  bestow,  at  a  period  when 
the  hres  of  ambition  had  ceased  to  burn,  and  when 
the  emoluments  of  place  could  offer  no  temptation. 
But  behold  what  a  mighty  and  youthful  energy 
lie  carried  into  the  execution  of  his  duties !  The 
youngest  aspirant  after  fame  and  position  could  not 
have  been  more  studious,  more  punctual,  more  un- 
tiring, more  deeply  interested  in  all  the  passing 
questions  of  the  da}^,  or  the  great  problems  of  the 
age,  more  keenly  sensitive  to  all  the  elements  of 
life  and  stir  around  him.  What  a  noble  spectacle 
did  this  eloquent  old  man  present  when  he  took  his 
place  again  in  our  national  Congress,  so  enriched 
with  all  the  lore  of  experience  as  well  as  of  schools, 
universities,  and  courts,  acting  his  part  in  full  sym- 


264  Christian  Greatness 

pathy  with  men  of  the  second  and  third  generation 
after  him,  revered  by  men  of  every  state  and  party, 
the  pride  even  of  his  opponents,  considered  as  a 
man  and  a  citizen ;  now  listened  to  with  mute  at- 
tention while  he  poured  forth  the  treasures  of  his 
wisdom,  and  now  again  quelling  the  fury  of  angry 
passions  when,  all  bonds  of  restraint  having  been 
sundered,  they  had  been  lashed  into  a  fearful  and 
overwhelming  tempest.  It  was  a  kind  and  wise 
Providence  that  placed  him  there  for  good,  and  the 
devout  Christian  patriot,  while  he  admires  the  in- 
strumentality, may  well  exclaim,  "It  was  thou,  O 
God,  wdio  didst  cause  the  voice  of  thy  servant  to 
be  heard  higher  than  the  voice  of  many  waters ; 
thou  didst  still  the  noise  of  their  waves,  the  noise 
of  their  waves  and  the  tumults  of  the  people." 

Adhering  rigidly  to  the  habits  of  his  youth  even 
in  advanced  age,  rising  early,  so  as  to  give  the  first 
hours  of  the  day  to  study  and  meditation,  Mr. 
Adams  preserved  his  mental  faculties  in  all  the 
vivacity  of  their  prime,  and  in  the  greatness  of 
their  strength.  The  ambition  of  his  last  days  was 
of  a  noble  sort ;  it  was  to  leave  the  field  without 
putting  off  his  armor ;  to  die  at  his  post — to  die  as 
a  faithful  servant,  "having  his  loins  girt  and  his 
lamp  trimmed  and  burning."  Above  all  things  he 
dreaded  a  life  of  indolence  or  uselessness.  God 
favored  his  wish.  It  was  fully  realized.  While 
his  mind  was  acting  in  the  plenitude  of  his  powders, 
wdiile  his  heart  was  throbbing  with  the  pulsations 
of  his  wonted  patriotism  and  his  warm  affections, 
his  exhausted  frame  gave  way  ;  his  spii'it  forsook 


^  In  the  Statesman.  265 

its  earthly  abode  for  that  higher  realm,  where  it 
may  expatiate  forever  in  the  light  and  bliss  of  im- 
mortality. 

"His  last  days  were  his  best."  The  lustre  of 
his  character  increased  more  and  more  unto  the 
end.  It  was  not  for  him  in  the  retrospect  of  his 
course  to  appropriate  the  sentiment  which  the  great 
English  poet  has  attributed  to  a  distinguished  prime 
minister : 

"  Plad  I  but  served  my  God  with  half  the  zeal 
I  served  my  king,  he  would  not  in  mine  age 
Have  left  me  naked  to  mine  enemies." 

The  ex-President  served  his  country  with  a  zeal 
which  never  flagged,  but  he  served  his  God  first  of 
all ;  and  at  last,  when  he  fell  beneath  the  shaft  of 
death,  received  not  only  the  free  tributes  of  love 
and  honor  from  his  friends,  but  the  profound  re- 
spect of  his  enemies,  while  he  left  a  name  to  be  em- 
balmed in  the  memory  of  a  nation. 

"  His  last  days  were  his  best."  An  interesting 
occasion  once  brought  this  reflection  to  my  mind 
with  an  impression  not  to  be  erased.  On  the  Fourth 
of  July,  184:3,  having  been  invited  to  ofiiciate  as 
chaplain  at  the  Boston  celebration  of  the  national 
independence,  I  repaired  to  the  council-chamber  of 
the  City  Hall  half  an  hour  before  the  time  for  form- 
ing the  procession.  While  reclining  alone  near  the 
window,  the  venerable  old  man  entered  the  room, 
and  ere  long,  taking  his  seat  beside  me,  began  to 
converse  w.ith  a  childlike  animation  and  simplicity 
of  manner.     After  touching;  on  a  few  reminiscences 


266  Christian  Greatness 

of  the  past,  lie  exclaimed,  "This  is  one  of  the  hap- 
piest days  of  my  whole  life.  Fifty  years  expire  to- 
day since  I  performed  in  Boston  my  first  public 
service,  which  was  the  delivery  of  an  oration  to 
celebrate  our  national  independence.  After  a  half 
century  of  active  life  I  am  spared,  by  a  benign 
Providence,  to  witness  my  son's  performance  of  his 
first  public  service,  the  delivery  of  an  oration  in 
honor  of  the  same  great  event."  It  was  evident 
that  his  heart  was  full  of  religious  gratitude,  and 
even  then  the  sentiment  of  my  text  associated  itself 
with  his  history,  while  his  own  lips  testified  that  he 
was  the  heir  of  its  promise,  "  Thou  shalt  come  to 
thy  grave  in  full  age,  like  as  a  shock  of  corn  cometh 
in  his  season." 

In  endeavoring  to  make  a  just  improvement  of 
the  present  occasion,  several  reflections  suggest 
themselves. 

1.  Let  us  cherish  a  spirit  of  sincere  gratitude  to 
the  Almighty  Giver  of  all  good  gifts,  in  that  he 
raised  up  for  the  service  of  our  country  and  our 
age  a  princely  mind,  so  remarkably  adapted  to 
their  necessities.  If  a  fine  adaptation  of  means  to 
ends  prove  design^  then  the  extraordinary  fitness  of 
Mr.  Adams  to  meet  the  calls  of  our  infant  republic, 
to  occupy  positions  of  delicacy  and  of  difiicultv, 
and  in  his  very  youth  to  serve  her  with  success 
where  the  highest  wisdom  and  experienced  skill 
were  requisite,  proves  a  beneficent  design  on  the 
part  of  God  toward  us  as  a  people,  and  demands 
devout  thankfulness  from  us  to  the  AU-^ise  De- 
signer and  Dispenser  of  the  benefit.     It  is  only  in 


In  the  Statesman.  267 


the  retrospect  of  a  long'  life  that  we  can  see  snch  a 
blessing  in  its  just  lights,  in  its  true  relations  and 
proportions,  so  as  to  appreciate  it  worthily.  We 
need,  as  from  an  eminence,  to  take  in  a  broad  view 
of  the  whole  landscape  of  his  life-history,  in  order 
to  understand  the  relative  importance  of  the  sphere 
which  he  occupied,  and  'the  dignity  of  the  ends 
which  he  achieved.  These  are  not  clearly  manifest 
while  we  are  in  close  proximity  to  a  living  charac- 
ter. 'No  doubt,  while  Washington  was  in  daily  con- 
tact with  his  countrymen,  there  were  many  of  sober 
mind  who  thought  that  if  he  were  suddenly  re- 
moved, some  substitute  might  be  found  who  could 
with  equal  success  occupy  the  vacant  station.  But 
now,  when  the  history  of  that  age  is  fully  before 
us,  when  we  read  it  a  glance,  when  the  many  ele- 
ments which  composed  its  intellectual  and  moral 
forces  are  analyzed  and  distinguished,  we  all  ac- 
knowledge that  Washington  was  without  a  paral- 
lel ;  that  the  world  possessed  no  othQi'  who  could 
have  stood  in  his  place,  could  have  wielded  the 
moral  sceptre  of  his  influence,  and  have  fulfilled 
his  glorious  mission  to  mankind.  So,  too,  when 
we  contemplate  the  extraordinary  education  and 
political  talents  of  that  young  man  to  whom  Wash- 
ington intrusted  the  honor  and  welfare  of  his  coun- 
try in  foreign  courts,  and  the  bright  career  of  the 
young  American  minister  in  coping  with  the  vet- 
eran diplomacy  of  European  monarchies,  we  can 
not  but  recognize  a  Divine  hand  in  ordering  all  the 
events  of  his  previous  life  so  as  to  prepare  him  for 
the   emergency,  and   to  qualify  him   by  a  perfect 


;6S  Christian  Gep:atness 


discipline  for  an  elevated  and  perilous  theatre  of 
action. 

Again,  when  by  a  series  of  strange  events  the 
most  discordant  jealousies  were  brought  into  stern 
conflict  at  the  Capitol,  when  by  the  aggressions  of 
the  slave  power  even  the  right  of  petition  was  de- 
nied, when  the  surges  of  excited  passion  were 
threatening  to  sweep  away  the  established  bul- 
warks of  freedom — who  but  he,  uniting  in  himself 
the  fervor  of  youth  and  the  obdurate  patience  of 
manhood,  with  the  dignity  of  age  and  lofty  station, 
could  have  eifectnally  checked  their  proud  irapetU' 
osity,  could  have  ruled  the  agitation  of  the  most 
fiery  spirits,  and  called  them  to  the  sober  consid- 
eration of  those  great  fundamental  principles  with- 
out wdiich  all  government  is  tyranny,  and  all  lib- 
erty but  a  name?  It  was  God  who  placed  hiiu 
there  to  guide  the  whirlwind  and  direct  the  storm, 
to  plead  for  truth,  law,  right,  justice,  and  human- 
ity, and  thus  to  '•  turn  back  the  battle  to  the  gate." 

2.  Let  us  endeavor  to  honor  and  emulate  that 
high-souled  rectitude  and  honesty  of  purpose 
w4ierein  lay  the  secret  of  his  courage  and  his 
strength.  However  much  men  might  differ  from 
him  in  judgment,  they  confided  in  his  sincerity  and 
his  truthfulness.  He  made  up  his  mind  in  obe- 
dience to  great  principles ;  he  followed  where  they 
led,  and  was  bold  to  proclaim  and  act  out  his  own 
convictions.  Sometimes  he  agreed  with  one  party, 
then  with  another ;  yet  he  did  not  mean  to  steer 
his  course  by  the  illusive  lights  of  party  policy, 
but  bv  the  fixed  eternal  star  of  absolute  truth.     For 


In  the  Statesman.  269 


this  one  tiling,  his  realization  in  actnal  life  of  a 
stern  republican  virtue,  the  individuality  of  con- 
science, let  his  name  be  ever  fragrant,  let  his  ex- 
ample be  prized  by  the  remotest  age  as  a  rich 
moral  legac}^  to  the  youth  of  his  own  country,  and 
to  the  friends  of  liberty  throughout  the  world. 

Prominent  among  the. features  of  his  character 
was  his  habitual  confidence  in  the  power,  and  in 
tlie  final  triumph  of  truth ;  hence  in  the  dark  and 
trying  day  he  was  not  ashamed  or  afraid  to  be  her 
champion,  whether  he  stood  with  many  or  with 
few.  He  had  faith  in  that  saying  of  an  ancient 
sage,  which  was  first  uttered  in  the  ears  of  a  king : 
"  Great  is  the  truth,  and  stronger  than  all  things ; 
all  the  earth  calleth  upon  the  truth  and  the  Heaven 
blesseth  it ;  all  works  shake  and  tremble  at  it,  and 
with  it  is  no  unrighteous  thing."  However  feeble 
might  be  his  voice,  he  felt  that  a  right  and  faithful 
testimony  is  never  lost.  'No  !  thanks  to  God,  it  can 
never  die.  It  may  be  overborne,  it  may  be  smoth- 
ered by  the  hands  of  violence,  it  may  seem  to  be 
lost  amid  the  din  of  strife  and  the  clamor  of  a 
crowd,  but  it  shall  find  responses  in  the  deep  re- 
cesses of  many  souls,  and  there  shall  its  echoes  be 
redoubled  and  prolonged,  until  it  break  forth  from^ 
other  tongues,  and  be  caught  up  by  listening  mul- 
titudes, and  sent  abroad  like  the  voice  of  mighty 
thunderings,  and  the  sound  of  the  trumpet  of  God 
in  the  ears  of  a  convinced  and  subject  world. 

3.  It  becomes  us,  too,  in  view  of  this  occasion, 
to  open  our  minds  to  fresh  impressions  of  the  in- 
estimable  worth   of  parental   influence   over  the 


27  0  Christian  Gkeatness 

_ — ■ — . — __-__ — ^ » 

strongest  minds,  in  early  laying  the  foundations  of 
an  enduring  character.  It  is  said  that,  after  the 
revolutionary  war,  when  the  French  officers  were 
assembled  to  take  leave  of  the  commander-in-chief, 
they  desired  an  opportunity  to  pay  their  respects 
to  the  mother  of  Washington.  This  was  granted 
to  them  at  a  public  entertainment  in  Petersburg, 
Virginia.  Such  was  the  efiect  produced  on  their 
minds  by  her  simple  manners,  her  noble  bearing, 
and  the  power  of  her  conversation,  that  as  she  re- 
tired from  their  company,  there  was  heard  among 
them  the  spontaneous  expression  of  the  sentiment, 
"IS^o  wonder  that  America  has  such  a  general, 
since  he  had  such  a  mother."  And  we  may  truly 
say  that,  whosoever  contemplates  the  spirit  that 
animates  the  history,  and  is  breathed  forth  in  the 
published  writings  of  that  excellent  woman,  the 
mother  of  John  Quincy  Adams,  will  be  disposed 
to  apply  to  the  deceased  ex-President,  the  expres- 
sion of  a  similar  sentiment.  An  accomplished 
lady,  possessed  of  sterling  sense,  looking  through 
appearances  to  the  reality  of  things,  governed  by 
a  lofty  patriotism  and  high  religious  principle,  she 
was  capable  of  leaving  the  impress  of  her  charac- 
ter on  the  mind  of  her  son ;  and  it  is  instructive 
to  observe  how  strictly,  even  to  the  latest  age,  he 
cherished  the  opinions,  and  exemplified  the  virtues 
which  she  inculcated  on  him  during  the  period  of 
boyhood.  The  nicely  adjusted  system  of  action, 
the  untiring  industry,  the  love  of  knowledge,  the 
love  of  country,  the  moral  fearlessness,  the  con- 
tempt of  fashion,  the  simple  tastes,  the  religious 


In  the  Statesman.  271 


reverence  which  appeared  in  him,  were  all  embod- 
ied in  her  strongly-marked  character. 

Apprehensive  that  her  son's  early  residence 
abroad  might  subject  his  heart  to  corrupting  in- 
fluences, she  seems  constantly  to  write  in  view  of 
that  perilous  liability ;  and  in  a  letter  addressed  to 
him  while  in  Paris,  in  the.  twelfth  year  of  his  age, 
she  says,  "  Dear  as  you  are  to  me,  I  would  much 
rather  you  should  have  found  your  grave  in  the 
ocean  you  have  crossed,  or  that  an  untimely  death 
cross  you  in  your  infant  years,  than  see  you  an  im- 
moral, profligate,  or  graceless  child." 

In  another  letter  addressed  to  her  son,  in  his 
fourteenth  year,  she  illustrates  with  an  eloquent 
energy  the  great  duties  which  he  owes  to  himself, 
his  parents,  his  country,  and  his  God,  and  espe- 
cially one  lesson  of  the  flrst  importance,  that,  "the 
only  sure  and  permanent  foundation  of  virtue  is 
religion." 

At  a  later  period  she  seeks  to  kindle  in  his  soul 
a  generous  love  of  freedom,  and  says,  "Let  your 
observations  and  comparisons  produce  in  your 
mind  an  abhorrence  of  domination  and  power,  the 
parent  of  slavery,  ignorance,  and  barbarism,  which 
places  man  upon  a  level  with  his  fellow-tenants  of 
the  woods : 

"  A  day,  an  hour,  of  virtuous  liberty 
Is  worth  a  whole  eternity  of  bondage." 

At  a  Still  later  day  she  is  found  rousing  in  him  a 
spirit  of  devotion  to  his  country,  saying,  "I  hope 
you  will  never  lose  sight  of  her  interests,  but  make 


272  Christian  Greatness 

her  welfare  your  study,  and  spend  those  hours 
which  others  devote  to  cards  and  folly,  in  investi- 
gating the  great  principles  by  which  nations  have 
risen  to  glory  and  eminence  ;  for  your  country  will 
one  day  call  for  your  services  in  the  cabinet  or 
field.  Qualify  yourself  to  do  honor  to  her."  In 
looking  at  the  portrait  which  these  letters  present 
of  the  mother  of  Mr.  Adams,  it  is  interesting  to  ob- 
serve that  its  more  delicate  lights  and  shades  were 
reproduced  in  her  son,  a  reflection  often  suggested, 
and  especially  by  the  fact  that,  inhaling  as  he  did 
the  spirit  of  the  Revolution,  he  inherited  from  her 
a  burning  hatred  against  the  government  of  En- 
gland as  an  oppressive  power,  which  neither  the 
lapse  of  time  nor  the  infirmities  of  age  could 
quench. 

To  mark  the  connection  between  great  effects  and 
their  obscure  causes,  to  trace  the  mighty  river 
which  bears  a  nation's  wealth  upon  its  bosom  to 
the  little  rill  in  the  mountain's  side  that  a  man's 
hand  may  span,  is  as  quickening  to  the  intellect  as 
it  is  profitable  to  the  heart ;  and  surely  it  is  worthy 
of  being  remembered  by  every  American  parent, 
that  the  solid  and  splendid  qualities  which  were 
developed  in  the  life  and  character  of  Mr.  Adams, 
sprang  up  in  the  home  of  his  childhood,  and  put 
forth  their  first  bloom  in  the  sunlight  of  a  Christian 
mother's  influence. 

4.  Moreover,  it  is  especially  fitting  at  this  time 
that  we  should  bear  witness  to  the  fact,  and  tell  it 
to  our  children,  that  those  virtues  of  which  we 
have  spoken  were  daily  nourished  by  a  firm  faith 


In  the  Stati<:sman.  273 

in  the  Cliristian  revelation,  and  by  a  devout  study 
of  it  as  the  inspired  Word  of  God.  The  sentiments 
which  he  received  on  this  subject  in  his  youthful 
years  he  often  subjected  to  the  test  of  scrutiny,  but 
never  abandoned.  He  clung  to  them  as  the  light 
of  life  and  the  hope  of  glory.  While  acting  as 
American  minister  at  the  court  of  Russia,  he  wrote 
a  series  of  letters  to  his  children.  They  were  never 
published ;  they  exist  only  in  manuscript,  and 
several  years  since  I  was  permitted  to  peruse  a 
copy  of  them.  It  is  interesting  to  notice  how  earn- 
estly he  commends  to  them  the  habitual  study  of 
the  sacred  Scriptures,  and  how  reverently  he  ap- 
peals to  them  on  any  question  whereof  they  profess 
to  speak.  Whether  we  should  agree  with  or  differ 
from  his  interpretation  of  particular  passages,  it 
would  be  impossible  to  read  these  letters  without 
bearing  away  a  deep  impression  of  the  fact  that  the 
writer  was  seeking  to  derive  his  religious  opinions, 
not  from  the  creeds  of  a  church,  or  from  the  wis- 
dom of  men,  but  from  the  simple  Word  of  God's 
own  inspiration. 

In  the  realm  of  religion,  as  well  of  ethics  and 
politics,  he  thought  for  himself;  and  yet,  like  the 
poet  Milton,  desired  to  slake  his  thirst  for  knowl- 
edge at 

"  Siloa's  brook,  -which  flowed 
Fast  by  the  oracle  of  God." 

He  was  not  content  with  a  moral  philosophy ; 
he  sought  a  vital  Christianity.  He  has  been  known 
to  urge  on  others,  with  great  force  of  thought  and 
expression,  that  view  of  the  nature  of  sin  which 


274  Christian  Greatness 

philosophy  can  not  impart,  and  which  the  mind  can 
not  apprehend,  except  by  seeing  it  as  the  trans- 
gression of  a  divinely-revealed  Law,  invested  with 
God's  awful  and  eternal  sanctions.  His  hope  of 
immortality  sprang  from  no  self-complacent  trust 
in  his  personal  merits,  but  in  the  grace  of  the  gos- 
pel, and  is  well  expressed  in  a  stanza  of  his  own : 

"  My  last  great  want,  absorbing  all. 
Is,  "when  beneath  the  sod. 
And  summoned  to  my  final  call, 
The  mercy  of  my  God" 

Mourning  his  departure  ''as  one  mourneth  for  a 
friend,"  it  is  a  joy  to  us  that  this  lamented  patriot 
and  chief  has  left,  throughout  the  whole  circle  of 
his  social  and  domestic  relations,  a  reputation  so 
unblemished,  a  name  so  dear  to  friendship,  an  ex- 
ample so  munificent,  as  a  heritage  to  the  youth  of 
his  native  land.  Of  the  acts  of  his  political  life 
different  opinions  will  be  entertained  according  to 
the  points  of  view  from  which  they  shall  be  re- 
garded ;  yet  we  doubt  not  that  the  more  closely  his 
character  and  course  shall  be  studied  and  consid- 
ered as  a  whole,  the  more  evident  will  it  appear 
that  some  parts  of  his  public  conduct,  which  have 
been  attributed  to  a  reasonless  caprice,  were  dic- 
tated by  those  high,  unbending  principles  of  action 
which  are  far  superior  to  the  common-place  max- 
ims of  mere  worldly  prudence,  and  which,  when 
announced,  command  the  homage  of  every  con- 
science. He  has  sunk  beneath  the  weight  of  years, 
but  the  regret  awakened  by  his  death  is  like  that 
which  follows  the  man  who  is  cut  off  in  the  midst 


In  the  Statesman.  275 


of  his  days,  and  whose  work  remains  unfinished. 
May  those  who  are  touched  with  sadness  by  the 
late  intelligence  of  his  death  strive  to  imitate  all 
that  in  him  was  noble  and  "  of  good  report,"  and 
then 

"  The  cloud  that  wraps  the  pi-esent  hour 
Will  serve  to  brighten  all  our  future  life." 


CHRIS  T  I  A  N 


GREATNESS: 


DISCOURSE 


CHRISTIAN.  GREATNESS 


MATTHEW   XX.    26-67. 

"  Wliosoever  will  be  great  among  you,  let  him  be  your  Minister  ;  and  whoso- 
ever will  be  Chief  among  you,  let  him  be  your  Servant." 

A  GREAT  man  has  fallen  in  our  midst !  A  man 
who  has  been  long  accounted  "  a  leader  in  Israel,"  a 
distinguished  citizen,  a  pure  patriot,  a  true  philan- 
thropist, in  whom  our  hearts  "  safely  trusted,"  and 
whom  all  of  every  rank  in  this  community  delighted 
to  honor,  has  been  called  away  from  the  scenes  of 
earth  to  his  home  in  heaven.  On  the  last  Wednes- 
day night,  five  minutes  after  the  clock  had  struck 
eleven,  the  spirit  of  Friend  Humphrey  was  sum- 
moned to  leave  its  earthly  tabernacle.  His  depar- 
ture was  not  unexpected.  To  him  it  was  welcome. 
After  protracted  and  excruciating  pains  that  had 
racked  his  strong  and  manly  frame,  almost,  one  may 
say,  to  the  whole  extent  of  its  capacity  to  suffer,  dur- 
ing several  successive  months,  he  had  often  longed 
for  the  final  hour  as  an  era  of  release,  and  was  pre- 
pared to  hail  the  last  pang  as  the  herald  of  his  trans- 
si  tion  from  the  furnace  of  "  refining  fires  "  to  those 


280  Christian  Greatness. 


realms  of  joyous  life  which  had  long  been  familiar 
to  the  eye  of  Faith  and  the  aspirations  of  Hope. 

An  event  like  this  should  not  be  allowed  to  pass 
away  without  notice  or  improvement.  His  death  is 
felt  as  a  bereavement  not  only  in  the  dgmestic  cir- 
cle, and  in  the  church  which  he  loved  as  the  home 
of  his  religious  affections  ;  it  is'  lamented  by  the 
whole  community  as  a  common  loss.  It  touches  a 
chord  of  sensibility  which  vibrates  throughout  the 
whole  extent  of  a  widely-spread  acquaintanceship. 
It  stirs  the  breast  of  many  an  aged  citizen  with 
quickening  recollections  of  the  past ;  it  calls  forth 
many  a  spontaneous  tribute  of  regard  from  the 
young  who  have  often  been  greeted  by  his  friendly 
smile,  and  who  loved  "  to  do  him  reverence,"  Hav- 
ing been  a  resident  of  this  city  from  the  days  of  his 
youth,  for  almost  half  a  century  he  has  traversed  its 
paths  of  business  with  the  mien  of  manly  honesty  and 
the  step  of  Christian  dignity  ;  he  has  participated 
in  the  administration  of  its  government  with  an 
energy  that  never  flagged,  with  a  prudence  and  firm- 
ness adequate  to  every  emergency  ;  with  the  increase 
of  his  wealth  and  the  ripening  of  his  experience  he 
has  exhibited  a  fine  example  of  an  enlarged  public 
spirit  and  of  generous  sacrifices  for  the  public  good  ; 
he  has  been  the  friend  of  the  poor,  the  shield  of  the 
weak,  the  companion  of  the  strong,  the  steady  pa- 
tron of  the  manifold  forms  of  benevolent  enterprise  ; 
and  thus,  as  a  good  man,  as  a  useful  citizen,  he  has 
shed  a  lustre  around  the  whole  sphere  of  life  in 
which  he  moved,  having  nobly  realized  in  action 
that  ideal   character   of  true    Christian    Greatness, 


Christian  Greatness.  281 


which  our  blessed  Master,  in  the  words  cited  as  my 
text,  commended  to  the  admiration  and  the  love  of 
all  his  followers. 

And  now  "  a  standard-bearer  hath  fallen."  We 
shall  see  his  face,  we  shall  hear  his  voice  no  more. 
But  he  has  left  a  fragrant  name  ;  his  whole  career 
furnishes  an  illustration  -of  that  kind  of  moral  excel- 
lence, upon  which  memory  loves  to  muse,  and  which 
it  is  always  refreshing  to  contemplate.  Is  it  not  fit- 
ting that  we  should  pause,  and  open  our  minds  and 
hearts  to  the  lesson  of  his  life  ?  The  philosophy  of 
this  lesson  is  set  forth  in  that  significant  precept  of 
our  Lord,  which  I  have  announced  in  your  hearing. 
Let  us  turn  our  thoughts  to  its  import,  aptly  expres- 
sive as  it  is  of  that  power  of  moral  character  so 
steadily  exerted  in  our  midst  by  our  departed  friend, 
through  a  long  series  of  years. 

It  appears  from  the  narrative  of  the  Evangelist, 
that  on  a  certain  day,  a  woman,  who  was  well  known 
and  highly  honored  amongst  the  disciples,  used  the 
privilege  of  a  mother  to  approach  our  Lord  in  order 
to  ask  special  favors  for  her  two  sons.  She  request- 
ed that  they  might  occupy  places  of  eminence  and 
honor  in  the  kingdom  that  he  was  about  to  es- 
tablish. In  this  request  she  betrayed  a  spirit  of 
worldly  ambition  ;  and  when  her  errand  on  be- 
half of  the  two  apostles  became  known  to  the 
rest,  a  kindred  spirit  was  kindled  in  their  breasts, 
and  uttered  itself  in  the  mutterings  of  offended 
and  indignant  jealousy.  The  chief  instructions 
which  Christ  delivered  in  the  course  of  his  min- 
istry, were  usually  suggested  by  occasions  as  they 


:>82  Christian  Greatness. 

arose  ;  and  now  He  takes  the  opportunity  to  ex- 
hibit to  the  view  of  those  around  Him,  the  pecu- 
liar character  and  the  sublime  moral  aims  of  the 
new  dispensation  ;  to  declare  to  them  that  his  king- 
dom was  entirely  different  from  that  of  any  earthly 
royalty  ;  that  high  positions  were  not  to  be  given 
away  as  personal  honors  or  marks  of  friendship  after 
the  fashion  of  court-patronage,  but  that  in  his  sight, 
unostentatious  usefulness  is  true  greatness  ;  so  that, 
to  reach  the  highest  point  in  the  scale, of  greatness, 
is  to  descend  to  the  greatest  self-denials,  and  to 
perform  the  greatest  amount  of  service  to  Him 
and  to  his  people.  With  what  simplicity  of 
speech  and  manner  was  this  far-reaching  truth  in- 
culcated !  Jesus  called  them  unto  Him,  aoid  said, 
"  Ye  know  that  the  princes  of  the  Gentiles  exercise 
dominion  over  them,  and  they  that  are  great  exer- 
cise authority  upon  them.  But  it  shall  not  be  so 
among  you  :  but  whosoever  will  be  great  among 
you,  let  him  be  your  minister  ;  and  whosoever  will 
be  chief  among  you,  let  him  be  your  servant.  Even 
as  the  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto, 
but  to  minister,  and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for 
many." 

While  we  give  ear  to  a  lesson  so  benign  as  this, 
are  we  not  struck  with  that  aspect  of  sublime  moral 
greatness  which  invested  the  divine  teacher  who  ut- 
tered it,  whose  life  beautifully  exemplified  it,  and 
who  expects  his  sincere  followers,  in  imitation  of 
himself,  practically  to  realize  it  ?  His  doctrine  is 
that  in  the  moral  realm  where  He  is  the  acknow- 
ledged sovereign. 


Christian  Greatness.  283 

real  usefulness  is  true  greatness. 

The  occasion  demands  that  we  allow  our  minds  to 
dwell  upon  it.  Let  it  be  our  aim  to  illustrate  it  by- 
regarding  it  from  several  points  of  view. 

1.  To  seek  to  be  useful  in  the  highest  degree,  is 
to  cherish  a  true  sympa-thy  with  the  greatest  and 
the  best  of  beings.  It  is  to  be  like  God."  "  His 
greatness  is  unsearchable,"  his  resources  are  infinite  ; 
He  is  dependent  on  none,  He  can  receive  no  benefit 
from  us,  or  from  any  creature  ;  yet  the  mighty 
agencies  of  his  vast  dominion  are  busily  tasked  in 
our  service,  and  the  most  subtle  elements  of  nature 
are  laid  under  contribution  to  promote  the  happiness 
of  sensitive  existences.  Behold  the  workings  of 
his  Providence  ;  what  a  profound  and  complicate 
machinery !  When  we  have  gazed,  at  times,  with 
the  imaginative  eye,  upon  that  dread  symbol  of  it 
which  rolled  in  grandeur  before  the  rapt  prophet  by 
the  river  Chebar,  we  have  been  mute  with  awe  in 
view  of  the  lofty  sweep  of  those  mighty  fiery  wheels, 
circled  within  wheels,  instinct  with  life,  full  of  eyes, 
moving  through  all  heights  and  depths  with  electric 
speed  and  spontaneous  power,  as  if  animate  in  every 
part  with  one  seraphic  soul.  God's  providence 
never  faileth,  never  tires,  reacheth  from  heaven  to 
earth,  and  supplies  with  equal  ease  the  wants  of 
angel  or  of  insect.  Everywhere,  throughout  the 
realm  of  nature,  "  all  things  are  full  of  labor  ;  man 
cannot  utter  it  ;"  the  universe  teems  with  life  and 
motion,  and  whether  you  look  at  the  obedient  orb 
that  whirls  along  its  ethereal  pathway,  or  at  the 


284  Christian  Greatness. 

mote  which  dances  in  the  sunbeam,  you  see  that  one 
law  ruleth  all,  and  that  each  subserves  the  ends  of 
divine  beneficence. 

What  an  instructive  application  did  our  Saviour 
make  of  this  general  truth,  when  he  said  to  his 
audience,  "  My  Father  worketh  hitherto,  and  I 
work !"  It  is  true,  indeed,  when  he  said  this,  he 
had  just  been  performing  a  miracle  which  required 
the  exertion  of  omnipotence  ;  but  in  regard  to  con- 
stant and  useful  activity,  he  bids  us  to  imitate  God, 
who  "  maketh  his  sun  to  rise,  and  his  rain  to  descend 
upon  the  evil  and  the  good,  upon  the  just  and  the 
unjust,"  that  thus  we  may  be  the  children  of  our 
Father  who  is  in  heaven.  Will  not  every  true 
Christian  heart,  think  you,  give  back  a  sympathetic 
answer  to  this  sublime  and  comprehensive  precept, 
which  bids  us  listen  to  those  responsive  testimonies 
that  break  upon  the  ear  from  the  incessant  chime  of 
nature's  harmonies  throughout  the  boundless  range 
of  created  agencies  ?  Yes  !  Let  us  remember,  then, 
that  when  we  stoop  to  the  humblest  services  which 
the  cause  of  religion  or  the  wants  of  humanity  calls 
for  at  our  hands,  we  begin  to  rise  toward  the  highest 
standard  of  true  greatness  in  the  sight  of  God  ; 
who,  though  he  be  great,  "  despiseth  not  any,*'  who 
condescends  to  regard  "  the  raven's  cry,"  and  "  hath 
respect  unto  the'  lowly." 

2.  In  relation  to  this  subject,  however,  what  we 
learn  of  God  from  his  works  and  providence,  is 
beautifully  illustrated  by  the  example  of  Christ,  in 
whom  divine  wisdom  and  goodness  were  embodied  ; 
whose  life  expressed  God's  own  idea  of  moral  excel- 


Christian  Greatness.  285 


lence  in  man,  and  exemplified  that  true  greatness  of 
whicli  the  life  of  every  Christian  should  be,  in  its 
appointed  sphere,  a  practical  realization.    For,  while 
we  admire  the  lesson  itself,  as  it  comes  to  us  from 
the  lips  of  Jesus,  our  admiration  is  enhanced  when 
we  survey  the  earthly  career  of  Him  who  came  from 
heaven  "  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister." 
His  course  was  one  of  useful  service.    He  went  about 
doing  good.     "  He  pleased  not  himself,"  but  it  was 
his  chief  joy  to   do  his  Father's  will  in  blessing 
others.     In  the  dignity  of  his  nature  he  stood  above 
all,  yet  He  stooped  below  all  ;    and,  although   He 
declared  himself,  as  the  Son  of  God,  the  rightful 
Lord  of  every  creature.  He  said  to  the  men  in  whose 
midst  he  moved  on  errands  of  love,  "  I  am  amongst 
you  as  one  that  serveth."     As  you  read  his  history, 
when  is  it  that  He  is  seen  to  disclose  those  aspects 
of  character  which  make  the  deepe&t  impression  on 
you  ;   -which  rouse  and  sway   your  spirit  by  their 
expression  of  lofty,  god-like  excellence  ?     Is  it^  in 
his  occasional  association  with  the  great  "leading 
men"  of  the  age?     Is  it  in  his  visits  to  the  rulers 
of  Judea,  who  sometimes  courted  his  society  ?     Is  it 
in  his  attendance  at  the  public  celebrations,  or  in 
his   reclining   as   a   guest   at   the  festivals   of   the 
wealthy?     Is  it  when  by  a  word  He  controls  the 
rage  of  hostile  priests,  or  holds  the  power  of  the 
government  in  check,  until  his  hour  shall  have  come  ? 
No  :  these  are  not  the  scenes  around  which  the  heart 
fondly  lingers  with  emotions  of  the  most  profound 
reverence  and   adoring   love.     These   are  not   the 
themes  which    Christian   poetry  has   devoutly   em- 


28G  Christian  Greatness. 

balmed,  wJiicli  the  Church  has  celebrated  in  her 
songs,  or  which  christian  art  has  chosen  for  the 
commemorative  picture  ;  but,  as  the  subjects  of  such 
immortal  works,  you  hear  of  "  Christ  healing  the 
sick,"  "  Christ  blessing  the  children,"  "  Christ  open- 
ing the  eyes  of  the  blind  f  instructing  a  sinful 
woman  at  the  well  of  Samaria,  or  receiving  the 
tribute  of  grateful  tears  with  which  a  forgiven  peni- 
tent bathed  his  feet.  These  are  the  scenes  which,  as 
at  the  bidding  of  creative  genius  they  have  been 
spread  upon  the  canvas,  have  drawn  throngs  of 
willing  pilgrims  from  afar  to  gaze  upon  them  with 
sentiments  of  devotion,  to  enjoy  the  rapture  which 
they  inspire,  and  to  confess  the  power  of  a  moral 
greatness  that  attests  the  presence  of  tlie  true  Mes- 
siah. 

3.  The  doctrine  of  which  we  speak  becomes  in- 
vested with  another  aspect  of  dignity,  when  we  con- 
sider that  the  great  end  for  whicli  a  Christian  is 
called  by  tlie  divine  word,  taught  by  the  divine 
Spirit,  and  practically  educated  under  the  discipline 
of  Divine  Providence,  is,  that  he  may  benefit  his 
generation  by  a  course  of  useful  service.  No  one 
can  feel  this  truth  too  deeply,  or  too  highly  estimate 
its  importance.  The  more  widely  we  extend  our 
observation  of  the  universe,  the  more  clearly  we 
perceive  that  everything,  whether  it  be  a'rand  or 
minute,  is  created  with  some  capacity  of  useful  ser- 
vice. The  sun  was  not  made  to  shine  for  itself,  but 
for  the  benefit  of  a  system  of  worlds.  The  soul  of 
man,  witli  all  its  interior  resources,  and  the  fine 
adjustment  of  its  faculties,  was  never  qualified  to  be 


Christian  Greatness.  287 

happy  ill  an  isolated  state  ;  the  law  of  its  being 
requires  it  to  find  its  happiness  in  imparting  happi- 
ness to  others.  By  reason  of  sin  it  became  spiritu- 
ally dead  to  this  glorious  aim,  and  all  its  sympathetic 
sensibilities  were  shrivelled  under  the  fatal  blight ; 
but  when  it  becomes  the  subject  of  "  the  new  crea- 
tion in  Christ  Jesus,"  we  may  be  sure  that  this  great 
change  is  wrought  for  no  inferior  end.  He  would 
not  redeem  it  for  an  object  lower  than  that  of  its 
original  creation.  The  principle  of  the  divine 
arrangement  v/as  couched  in  the  benediction  pro- 
nounced, of  old,  upon  the  faithful  patriarch  :  "  I  will 
bless  thee  and'  make  thee  a  blessing."  Such  is  the 
destination  to  which  our  Master  beckons  us.  And 
since  it  hath  pleased  Him  thus  to  exalt  us,  to  qualify 
us  to  participate  in  his  happiness,  to  fulfil  the  minis- 
tries of  his  own  love,  to  cover  the  rough  wastes  of 
this  disordered  world  with  the  bloom  and  fruitage 
of  heavenly  grace,  does  it  not  become  us  to  be  earnest 
in  performing  this  our  life-work  ;  to  have  our  posi- 
tion in  tlie  world  clearly  recognized  by  the  tilings 
which  we  accomplish,  and  so,  to  bo  preparing  daily 
to  hail  the  hour  of  death  as  marking  the  era  of  our 
advancement  to  a  higher  and  a  boundless  spliere  of 
joyous  activity  ? 

4.  hi  accordance  with  these  views,  let  it  be  re- 
membered that  whosoever  is  endowed  witii  superior 
powers  of  mind,  advantages  of  situation,  or  means 
of  usefulness,  ought,  therefore,  to  be  the  greatest  ser- 
vant. For  these  gifts  render  one  more  fit  to  serve. 
Unto  whom  much  is  given,  from  him  sliall  much  be 
required ;    and    the   rule   of    Christ's   kingdom   is, 


288  Christian  Greatness. 

"  every  man  according  to  his  ability."  Is  it  fitting 
that  he  who  has  ten  talents  should  yield  no  larger 
returns  than  he  who  has  but  two  ?  And  yet,  how 
often  do  we  see  that  he  who  is  most  stinted  in  the 
means  of  working,  brings  in  the  amplest  revenue ! 
Surely,  if  there  be  anything  that  we  possess,  on 
w^hich  we  are  disposed  especially  to  value  ourselves, 
any  element  of  character  or  condition  for  which  we 
desire  the  appreciation  of  others,  in  that  very  direc- 
tion we  are  expected  to  achieve  the  noblest  services. 
If  we  set  a  high  estimate  on  any  particular  gift  or 
endowment,  we  sink  relatively  low  in  the  sight  of 
God,  unless  that  very  power  have  fitting  verge  and 
scope  in  the  cause  of  religion  and  humanity.  If  it 
seem  to  us  that  our  "  great  strength  lieth  "  in  any 
department  of  knowledge,  or  in  our  professional 
skill,  in  our  inherited  wealth,  or  in  our  faculty  of 
making  money,  and  we  hoard  up  our  acquisitions  for 
ourselves,  the  more  we  gain,  the  poorer  and  the 
meaner  will  we  appear  in  the  sight  of  Heaven  ;  and 
the  more  terribly,  at  last,  w^ill  conscience,  from  its 
deepest  recesses,  echo  back  the  sentence  that  shall 
be  sounded  out  from  the  judgment-throne  of  the 
Universe.  The  talent,  wrapped  in  a  napkin,  when 
it  comes  to  be  unearthed,  will  be  a  witness  against 
our  perverted  stewardship.  In  the  end  we  must 
be  deprived  of  that  which  we  idolize  and  abuse  ; 
for,  the  final  decree  will  be,  "  Take  away  the  talent 
from  him,"'  and  it  shall  be  added  to  the  stores  of  the 
faithful  servant  wlio  will  use  it  with  skill  and  gather 
its  increase. 

5.  Moreover,  let  it  be  observed  that  the  realiza- 


Christian  Greatness.  289 

tion  of  this  idea  of  Christian  greatness  in  the  pursuits 
of  life,  implies  a  willingness  to  be  useful  in  any  ca- 
pacity, or  to  occupy  any  position  which  our  Master 
may  designate.  Too  many,  no  doubt,  are  the  sub- 
jects of  a  mental  illusion  in  regard  to  their  desire 
of  usefulness.  A  fine  ideal  standard  of  moral  great- 
ness glimmers  before  the  eye  of  Fancy,  soothes  and 
charms  them  now  and  then  in  hours  of  reverie,  and 
makes  the  heart  occasionally  to  throb  with  an  ardent 
longing  after  its  attainment.  But  these  vivid  con- 
ceptions rarely  pass  out  of  the  dreamy  realm  of  con- 
templation into  that  of  practical  life.  There  is  a 
failure  at  the  point  of  action.  There  is  a  want  of 
sober  calculation,  or  a  want  of  executive  energy. 
Habitually  fastidious  in  the  choice  of  place,  circum- 
stances, or  associations,  they  aspire  to  this  or  that 
inviting  station  ;  they  imagine  a  combination  of 
elements  which  would  be  very  agreeable  if  it  were 
only  practicable,  and  then  fancy  how  much  good 
they  would  do  if  all  these  conditions  could  be  well 
arranged.  But  if  that  spirit  of  holy  ambition  to  be 
useful,  which  the  words  of  my  text  inculcate,  really 
dwell  in  us,  we  will  be  sure  to  "  serve  our  generation 
by  the  will  of  God ''  in  some  manner,  wheresoever 
we  may  be  ;  we  will  attempt  at  once  the  thing  to  be 
done  which  lieth  at  our  hand,  however  humble  may 
be  the  service  ;  we  will  gain  strength  by  wrestling 
with  difficulties  ;  we  will  learn  wisdom  from  defeat, 
we  will  reap  profit  from  adversity,  and  will  subject 
the  petty  and  rasping  annoyances  of  our  condition 
to  the  higher  aims  of  life. 

And  here,  let  it  not  be  forgotten,  that  upon  the 


290  Christian  Greatness. 

truth  which  I  have  just  uttered,  our  Master  hath  laid 
a  special  stress.  Although  in  the  kingdoms  of  this 
world,  it  is  common  for  men  to  choose  their  places 
of  honor,  power,  or  trust,  to  ply  all  the  arts  of  in- 
trigue in  order  to  obtain  them,  yet  it  is  the  law  of 
Christ,  that  in  his  kingdom  "  it  shall  not  be  so.'' 
It  is  not  this  or  that  position  which  renders  his  true 
servant  happy,  but  love  to  the  service  itself.  And 
"  real  love,"  as  they  tell  us  that  Plato  was  wont  to 
say,  ''  is  a  great  enterpriser."  Where  the  love  of 
Christ,  as  a  principle  of  action,  rules  in  the  heart,  it 
not  only  makes  a  man's  service  voluntary,  but  leads 
him  to  prefer,  above  all  others,  the  place  to  which 
his  Master's  providence  appoints  him.  His  service 
is  no  slavisli  task-work.  His  usefulness  is  the  free 
development  of  an  inner  life  that  allies  him  to  the 
"  ministering  spirits  "  of  heaven.  Throughout  the 
domain  of  nature,  soulless  things  are  useful  ;  the 
brook  that  slakes  your  thirst,  and  the  rock  that  shel- 
ters you  ;  the  brutes  also,  following  their  instinctive 
tendencies,  like  the  ox  or  the  horse,  are  useful.  But 
in  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  he  who  serves  effectually, 
chooses  usefulness  as  the  object  that  attracts  his  af- 
fections, and  as  the  greatness  that  satisfies  his  am- 
bition ;  chooses  it  for  Christ's  sake  as  the  proper 
aim  of  his  being  ;  chooses  it  with  an  obedient,  grate- 
ful, and  joyous  spirit,  as  the  only  pursuit  congenial 
with  the  aspirations  of  a  sinful  man  "  redeemed  from 
the  bondage  of  corruption,"  to  participate  in  "  the 
glorious  liberty  of  the  sons  of  God." 

It  is  fitting,  certainly,  that  on  an  occasion  like  the 
present,  this  subject  which  our  Lord  commended  to 


Christian  Greatness.  291 

the  consideration  of  his  followers,  should  be  allowed 
to  detain  our  attention,  and  should  be  held  before 
the  eye  of  the  mind  until  it  shall  have  assumed  a 
clearly  defined  form,  and  shall  have  been  surveyed 
in  its  relations  to  religion,  to  character  and  life. 
Because,  it  must  be  obvious  to  all,  that  the  departed 
friend,  whose  loss  we  so  deeply  deplore,  is  endeared 
to  the  memory  of  those  "  who  knew  him  best  and 
loved  him  most "  as  a  noble  example  of  this  idea  of 
Christian  greatness.  This  is  his  chief  distinction. 
This  is  the  sentiment  that  must  give  form  to  his  ap- 
propriate epitaph.  Simple  in  his  aims,  unostenta- 
tious in  his  manners,  childlike  in  his  spirit,  never- 
theless, he  was  ''  great  among  us."  He  was  great 
"  before  the  Lord,"  and  in  the  eyes  of  men.  He  did 
not  seek  greatness  as  an  end,  but  it  came  as  an  ef- 
fect, according  to  the  moral  laws  which  God  has  or- 
dained ;  it  followed  as  naturally  as  a  man's  shadow 
will  follow  him  when  he  walks  erect  in  the  sunlight. 
It  is  not  of  any  single  action,  or  series  of  actions, 
standing  out  in  a  marked  distinction  from  the  line 
of  his  daily  conduct,  that  we  predicate  this  quality 
of  greatness  ;  but  it  is  of  a  long,  well-sustained,  in- 
fluential course  of  active  life,  considered  as  a  whole, 
that  we  af&rm  this  excellence,  and  thus  pay  to  it  the 
just  tribute  of  a  eulogy,  in  comparison  with  whose 
enduring  worth  the  titles  of  honor  that  selfish  am- 
bition covets  are  but  as  childish  mimicry. 

For  the  reason  that  we  have  just  suggested,  the 
history  of  his  life  may  be  briefly  told.  Let  us  notice 
the  points  by  which  its  outline  may  be  traced. 

Friend  Humphrey  was  born  at  Simsbury,  Hart- 


292  Christian  Greatness. 

ford  County,  Connecticut,  on  the  eighth  of  March, 
1787.  His  father,  Noah  Humphrey,  was  a  respected 
and  upright  christian  man,  of  Welsh  descent,  whose 
days  were  spent  chiefly  in  the  quiet  employments  of 
his  farm,  which  lay  along  the  banks  of  the  Farming- 
ton  river.  That  New  England  homestead  was  the 
birth-place  of  eleven  children,  of  whom  seven  were 
sons.  Of  those  sons,  only  one  now  remains,  Dr.  Gi- 
deon Humphrey,  of  Burlington,  New  Jersey,  whom 
we  are  permitted  to  behold  in  our  midst  to-day.  Of 
that  family  group,  the  oldest  boy  entered  the  revo- 
lutionary army  when  fourteen  years  of  age.  Friend 
was  the  youngest ;  and,  before  he  had  reached  his 
seventh  year,  was  bereaved  of  his  father  by  the  hand 
of  death.  For  several  succeeding  years  lie  remained 
with  his  mother,  lightening  her  cares  with  filial  as- 
siduity. An  old  proverb  says  that "  the  boy  is  the 
father  of  the  man  ;"  we  see  a  gleam  of  this  truth  in 
the  remark  of  that  favored  mother,  who  was  heard 
to  say  that  her  youngest  boy  was  tlie  best  man  she 
could  obtain  to  take  the  care  of  her  garden.  Even 
then,  useful  labor  was  his  pleasure  and  his  recre- 
ation. 

Perliaps  it  was  this  trait  of  his  youthful  character 
which  commended  him  to  the  attention  of  Judge 
Burt,  of  New  Hartford,  a  friend  of  the  family,  who, 
as  it  is  said, "  took  a  fancy  to  the  lad,"  and  who  pro- 
posed to  his  mother  to  take  the  charge  of  him,  in 
order  that  he  might  train  him  up  to  a  useful  trade. 
The  advice  was  followed,  and  this  event  became  the 
turning-point  of  his  history.  The  business  of  a  tan- 
ner was  begun  in  Connecticut ;  but  Judge  Burt,  who 


Christian  Greatness.  293 

was  truly  a  religious  man,  removed  to  Lansingburg, 
in  this  neighborhood,  and  thither  young  Humphrey 
accompanied  him.  There  he  was  awakened  by  the 
divine  Spirit  to  a  sense  of  his  sinfulness,  was  led  to 
embrace  by  faith  the  Saviour  as  revealed  to  us  in  the 
gospel,  and  there  made  a  profession  of  religion  by 
being  baptized,  and  by  uniting  himself  to  the  church 
in  the  nineteenth  year  of  his  life.  Soon  afterward, 
he  removed  to  this  city,  and,  ere  long,  entered  upon 
that  mercantile  career  in  which  he  so  fully  verified 
the  saying,  that  "  the  path  of  the  just  is  as  the  shin- 
ing light  that  shineth  more  and  more  until  the  per- 
fect day."  With  every  revolving  year  that  light 
became  more  widely  diffused,  and  never  suffered  an 
eclipse.  And  here  let  it  be  declared,  and  let  it  be 
remembered,  that  the  earliest  notice  which  we  have 
of  his  residence  in  Albany,  is  found  in  the  of&cial 
records  of  the  church,  with  which  he  must  have  con- 
nected himself  soon  after  his  arrival  with  the  least 
possible  delay.  This  fact  is  very  significant,  because 
it  is  in  such  perfect  keeping  with  his  whole  charac- 
ter. In  too  many  instances  a  change  of  residence 
marks  the  era  of  religious  decline,  because  it  rends 
the  bonds  of  christian  association,  and  furnishes  an 
opportunity  to  release  one's  self  from  the  responsi- 
bility of  church-membership.  But  it  was  not  so  with 
Friend  Humphrey.  When  I  consider  the  weakness 
of  the  Baptist  Church  in  Albany  at  that  period-^ 
when  I  call  to  mind  the  little  band  of  men  and 
women  who  constituted  it,  and  who  could  hold  their 
meetings  for  worship  in  the  private  parlor  of  the 
smallest   dwelling — when  I  see  how   speedily   this 


294  Christian  Greatness. 


young  man,  after  having  reached  his  newly-adopted 
home,  seeks  them  out,  identifies  his  interests  with 
theirs,  participates  in  their  struggles,  brings  to  their 
counsels  the  ardor  of  youth  combined  with  the  sober 
judgment  of  manhood,  and  now  observe  that,  after 
the  lapse  of  almost  half  a  century,  the  last  official 
record  of  his  connection  with  the  church  on  earth,  is 
about  to  be  made  amidst .  the  tears  of  his  brethren 
which  embalm  the  remembrance  of  his  name,  I  can- 
not forbear  to  blend  with  my  thanksgivings  the 
plaintive  cry,  0  God  of  Israel !  on  whom  shall  the 
mantle  of  thy  departed  servant  fall. 

In  this  connection  it  is  proper  to  state,  that  Mr. 
Humphrey  was  one  of  the  constituting  members  of 
the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Albany,  and  was  present 
at  its  organization,  in  the  year  1811,  on  the  23d  of 
January.  On  the  11th  of  July,  the  same  year,  he 
was  appointed  to  serve  the  church  temporarily,  in 
the  office  of  deacon,  into  which  office  he  was  after- 
wards inducted  according  to  ancient  usages,  and  in 
which  he  continued  until ,  he  was  dismissed  in  the 
autumn  of  1834,  with  one  hundred  and  twenty  others, 
under  the  ministry  of  Rev.  Dr.  Welch,  to  constitute 
the  North  Pearl-street  Baptist  Church,  of  which  he 
continued  an  active  member  and  its  senior  deacon 
to  the  close  of  his  life.  This  record  of  his  official 
relation  to  the  church  is  very  brief ;  it  may  be  com- 
p^rised  within  the  compass  of  a  few  lines.  The  eye 
of  a  stranger  may  peruse  it  without  the  awakening 
of  any  emotion  ;  it  seems  but  a  dry  fragment  of  our 
annals.  But  there  are  many  here  to-day,  on  whose 
ears  this  announcement  falls,  to  whom  it  is  sugges- 


Christian  Greatness.  295 

tive  of  remembrances  that  spring  from  the  deepest 
fountains  of  feeling  in  the  soul ;  to  whose  retrospec- 
tive glance  it  brings  up  a  long  course  of  that  "  pa- 
tient continuance  in  well-doing,"  which  opened  such 
ample  scope  for  the  exercise  of  the  highest  faculties 
of  his  mind  and  the  finest  feelings  of  his  heart; 
which  put  steadily  in  requisition  his  knowledge  of 
human  nature,  his  comprehensive  forecast,  his  finan- 
cial skill,  his  exhaustless  liberality,  his  sympathy  for 
the  poor,  his  magnanimity  and  forbearance  combined 
with  clearness  of  judgment  and  decision  of  purpose. 
With  a  sweet  gentleness  of  manner  that  invited  the 
approach  of  the  timid,  united  to  a  dignity  that  at 
once  commanded  respect  from  the  rash  or  overbear- 
ing, he  was  a  living  exemplification  of  those  manly 
virtues  and  christian  graces  that  qualify  one  to  "  use 
the  office  of  a  deacon  well ;"  so  that  in  the  assem- 
blies for  devotion,  in  the  meetings  for  business,  in 
the  chamber  of  poverty  or  the  mansion  of  affluence, 
he  seemed  to  be  equally  at  ease  and  at  home.  But, 
then,  in  the  development  .of  these  qualities,  he  was 
so  constant,  so  .humble,  so  unobtrusive,  that,  unless 
I  were  gifted  with  the  observant  eye  of  one  of  those 
"  ministering  spirits  "  who  hover  around  the  paths 
of  faithful  men  by  day  and  by  night,  it  were  impos- 
sible to  picture  adequately  forth  those  scenes  which 
illustrated  these  elements  of  his  character.  And, 
therefore,  it  is,  no  doubt,  that  when  I  speak  in  your 
presence,  ,my  brethren,  of  that  career  of  usefulness 
which  he  fulfilled  in  the  services  of  the  deaconship, 
you  join  with  me  in  applying  to  it  the  language  of 


296  Christian  Greatness. 

the  Patriarch,  its  "  witness  is  in  heaven,  its  record 
is  on  high." 

And  while  I  speak  thus  of  that  faithful  constancy 
with  which  he  fulfilled  his  duties  as  a  member  and 
officer  of  the  church,  it  must  not  be  overlooked  that 
in  those  relations  he  exhibited,  from  the  days  of  his 
youth,  a  worthy  example  of  that  enlargedness  o/soul 
with  which  we  have  been  familiar  in  his  later  years. 
If  ever  any  one  had  a  fair  show  of  reason  for  con- 
tracting his  sympathies,  or  efforts,  or  pecuniary  con- 
tributions within  the  narrow  sphere  of  his  church 
and  neighborhood,  surely  he  must  have  had  it  in 
those  days  when  the  claims  of  a  cause  that  was 
struggling  for  existence  in  his  own  city  seemed 
enough  to  task  him  to  the  utmost  of  liis  ability. 
But,  although  his  charity  began  at  home,  it  did  not 
end  here.  Who  was  more  ready  than  he  to  help 
forward  the  spread  of  the  gospel  in  foreign  lands  ? 
Who  took  hold  of  the  enterprise  of  ministerial  edu- 
cation with  a  firmer  hand  ?  Who  was  more  tho- 
roughly interested  in  supplying  the  destitute  parts 
of  our  own  country  with  religious-  privileges,  by 
means  of  missionaries,  Sabbath  schools,  and  churches  ? 
In  all  these  lines  of  direction,  his  influence  on  the 
church  was  benign  and  elevating  ;  because,  with  a 
width  of  view  which  took  within  its  scope  the  mani- 
fold interests  of  Christ's  kingdom  throughout  the 
world,  he  set  an  example  of  that  enlarged  and  prac- 
tical spirit  of  Christianity  which  the  wants  of  oui* 
age  so  urgently  demand. 

In  the  year  1810,  when  he  was  twenty-three  years 
of  age,  Mr.  Humphrey  was  married  to  Miss  Hannali 


Christian  Greatness.  297 


Hinman,  the  oldest  daughter  of  Dr.  Hinman.  of  Lan- 
singburg,  a  most  amiable  lady,  of  a  spirit  congenial 
with  his  own.  Of  her  he  was  bereaved  by  death 
after  a  lapse  of  twelve  years.  In  the  year  1825  he 
was  married  again  to  Miss  Julia  Ann  Hoyt,  daughter 
of  David  P.  Hoyt,  Esq.,  of  Utica.  In  this  union, 
too,  he  was  fortunate,  as  most  of  those  that  are  here 
present  are  well  aware,  inasmuch  as  the  memory 
of  that  excellent  woman,  who  was  removed  from 
amongst  us  only  within  a  recent  period,  is  cherisTied 
with  lively  emotions  throughout  a  wide  circle  of 
acquaintanceship.  The  happiness  of  Mr.  Humphrey 
in  these  domestic  connections  was  a  source  of  happi- 
ness to  others  ;  for  in  the  earlier,  as  well  as  in  the 
later  years  of  his  life,  his  house  has  been  the  scene 
of  an  attractive  hospitality,  to  which  the  lyrical 
strain  of  Goldsmith  might  be  well  applied  :— 

"  Blest  be  the  spot  where  cheerful  guests  retire, 
To  pause  from  toil,  and  trim  their  evening  fire ; 
Blest  that  abode  where  want  and  pain  repair, 
And  every  stranger  finds  a  ready  chair." 

In  vain  would  be  the  attempt  to  estimate  how 
many  a  Weary  pilgrim,  how  many  a  needy  traveller, 
ministers  of  the  Gospel  and  missionaries  of  the 
Cross,  have  been  greeted  with  a  welcome  of  the 
heart  beneath  his  roof;  especially  in  those  days 
when  the  Western  portions  of  this  State  were  cov- 
ered with  primeval  forests,  relieved  only,  here  and 
there,  by  the  rising  settlement  or  thrifty  village 
Avhich  opened  a  new  and  hopeful  field  to  the  spirit 
of  religious  enterprise. 


298  Christian  Greatness. 

Mr.  Humphrey  had  now  attained  the  plentitude 
of  his  manly  faculties.  His  capacities  for  civil  life 
had  gradually  unfolded  themselves,  had  become 
generally  understood,  and  were  constantly  called 
into  action  by  the  voice  of  the  community.  His 
course  of  public  service  began  in  the  autumn  of  the 
year  1819,  when  he  was  elected  Assistant  Alderman 
for  the  Fifth  Ward.  In  the  year  1820  he  was  re- 
elected. In  September,  1821,  he  was  re-elected  for 
theTirst  Ward.  In  September,  1822,  he  was  elected 
Alderman  for  the  First  Ward.  In  September,  1823, 
he  was  re-elected.  In  September,  1827,  he  was  re- 
elected ;.  again,  in  the  year  1828  ;  and  again,  in 
1832.  During  several  of  the  intervening  years  he 
held  the  office  of  Supervisor  of  the  ward  in  which  he 
resided. 

In  November,  1839,  he  was  elected  a  Senator 
for  the  third  senatorial  district  in  this  State.  He 
occupied  a  seat  in  the  Senate  during  the  years  1840 
and  1841. 

In  April,  1843,  he  was  elected  Mayor  of  the  city. 
In  April,  1844,  he  was  re-elected.  He  was  again 
elected  in  1849,  and  held  the  office  until  May  1850. 
This  was  the  last  civil  office  that  he  filled. •  During 
the  last  thirty-five  years  he  has  been  a  candidate  for 
the  suffrages  of  the  people,  at  least  twenty  times,  and 
has  never  but  once  been  defeated. 

He  never  sought  office.  Whenever  he  accepted  it 
he  did  so  at  the  solicitation  of  others  ;  and  often, 
(as  I  have  been  assured  by  Judge  Harris,  who  speaks 
from  personal  observation,)  "  when  urged  to  take  a 
nomination  he  refused   to  vield   his  assent."     His 


Christian  Greatness.  299 

tastes  and  habits  qualified  him  to  enjoy  the  walks 
of  private  life,  the  tranquil  pleasures  of  home,  the 
society  of  his  family  and  children,  far  more  than  all 
the  honors  that  could  be  gathered  from  the  most  ele- 
vated and  conspicuous  spheres  of  public  action. 

He  never  engaged  in  any  undertaking  to  which  he 
was  not  adequate.  Commanding  general  confidence 
he  was  an  efficient,  because  he  was  a  trusted  leader. 
The  sterling  integrity  which  he  displayed  in  scenes 
of  commercial  business  he  carried  with  him  into  -the 
arena  of  politics  ;  and,  in  that  achievement,  reared 
another  trophy  of  true  Christian  greatness.  He  was 
faithful  to  his  convictions  of  right,  of  truth,  and  of 
duty.  He  never  could  be  counted  upon  safely  to  help 
forward  any  scheme  of  intrigue  ;  but  he  could  be  fully 
relied  upon  to  occupy  his  proper  post  in  any  emer- 
gency. Men  always  knew  where  to  find  him.  In  the 
store,  the  counting-room,  in  the  bank,  in  the  council- 
chamber,  in  the  hall  of  legislation,  in  the  family,  the 
social  circle,  in  the  sanctuary  of  God,  he  was  the 
same  man.  A  change  of  scene  or  of  associations 
neither  wrought  nor  developed  any  difi'erence  of 
character.  Every  where  he  had  the  same  principles 
and  spirit,  the  same  religion,  the  same  manners. 
Rather  slow  of  speech,  his  natural  intuitions  were 
quick  and  penetrating.  In  all  deliberations  respect- 
ing men  or  measures,  he  saw  directly  to  the  core  of 
things.  His  perception  of  great  principles  was  very 
clear  ;  his  intellectual  grasp  of  them  was  firm.  Wary 
and  cautious  in  forming  his  opinions,  he  could  never 
be  enticed  or  driven  to  abandon  them.  He  was  de- 
cided in  his  attachments  to  the  party  with  which  he 


300  Christian  Greatness. 


acted  ;  yet  never  sunk  the  character  of  the  man,  the 
patriot,  or  the  Christian  in  that  of  the  partizan. 
Men  of  conflicting  sentiments  often  united  in  listen- 
ing to  his  counsels,  and  in  acting  on  his  suggestions, 
because  they  felt  that  they  thoroughly  understood 
him,  that  his  aims  were  transparent,  and  his  words 
without  guile.  Thus  Friend  Humphrey  "  fulfilled 
his  course  ;"  the  noble  specimen  of  a  true  man,  and 
of  a  Christian,  "  the  highest  style  of  man.'* 

During  the  greater  part  of  his  life  he  enjoyed  un- 
interrupted health.  His  stalwart,  well-proportioned 
frame,  his  countenance,  expressive  of  serene  benig- 
nity, his  gait,  manner,  and  tones  of  voice,  making  on 
every  one  the  impression  of  a  strong,  self-possessed, 
"  a  sound  mind  in  a  sound  body," — not  only  qualified 
him  to  exert  an  influence  over  men  in  the  ordinary 
pursuits  of  life,  but  also  to  stand  forth  at  the  head 
of  a  municipal  government  as  the  representative  of 
authority.  Hence,  in  periods  of  stormy  agitation, 
such  as  are  likely  to  make  their  appearance  now  and 
then,  in  the  history  of  every  city,  when  all  his  phys- 
ical and  moral  energies  have  been  aroused  into  ac- 
tion, he  has  been  found  to  be  "  the  man  for  the 
times,"  and  by  the  mere  force  of  character  has  ex- 
erted a  mighty  sway  over  the  popular  mind,  so  as  to 
calm  "  the  noise  of  the  waves,  the  tumults  of  the 
people."  As  a  public  officer  he  was  ever  prompt  to 
meet  the  demands  of  his  position  with  a  humane, 
conscientious  and  courageous  spirit.  The  first  se- 
vere shock  which  his  health  received  was  expe- 
rienced in  the  performance  of  the  duties  connected 
with  the  mayoraltv,  in  that  year  which  was  distin- 


Christian  Greatness.  301 


guished  by  the  last  visitation  of  Asiatic  cholera. 
He  appeared,  however,  to  have  risen  superior  to  its 
debilitating  influence,  until  within  a  few  months 
past,  when  his  final  sickness  commenced.  His  dis- 
order"^ was  of  a  subtle  character,  slow  and  sure  in 
its  progress,  and  attended  with  excruciating  pangs. 

Toward  the  close  of  th-e  last  Autumn,  when  I  first 
began  to  visit  him  as  his  minister,  his  mind  had  taken 
on  a  mood  of  gloomy  depression,  the  natural  effect 
of  confinement  on  a  man  of  active  habits.  From 
that  condition  he  emerged  by  the  quickening  of  his 
religious  sensibilities  ;  and  the  soul,  animated  by  the 
faith  of  Christ,  showed  that  it  could  triumph  over 
the  most  powerful  assaults  of  disease  and  pain. 

But  no  tongue,  no  pen  can  describe  the  scenes  of 
suffering  through  which  he  has  passed.  What  weari- 
some nights  were  appointed  unto  him  !  For  succes- 
sive weeks  he  lay  not  once  upon  his  bed  ;  but,  in  the 
intervals  of  racking  paroxysm,  would  take  some  brief 
repose  in  his  chair,  or  else  standing  up,  supported 
on  either  side  by  a  friendly  hand.  Several  times 
amidst  throes  that  seemed  like  those  of  mortal 
agony,  he  expressed  to  me  the  fear  that  he  would  be 
bereft  of  reason  ;  and  while  a  manly  tear  started 
from  his  eye,  he  exclaimed,  "  What  if  I  should  be 
left  to  rave !  What  if  I  should  be  heard  to  blas- 
pheme that  holy  name  by  which  I  have  been  called !" 
It  was  a  terrible  presentiment.  I  said  to  him  on  one 
of  those  occasions.  My  dear  sir,  entertain  not  such  a 
thought !     God  has  kept  you  so  far,  he  will  keep 

*  Enlarged  prostrate  gland. 


302  Christian  Greatness. 

you  unto  the  end.  Eemember  the  past,  and  trust 
Him  for  the  future.  Take  now  this  promise  to  your 
heart :  "  When  thou  passest  through  the  fire  thou 
shalt  not  be  burned,  neither  shall  the  flame  kindle 
upon  thee."  You  see  that  the  promise  is  not  that 
the  people  of  God  shall  be  exempt  from  passing 
through  the  fire,  but  it  is  that  they  shall  not  be  con- 
sumed. "  Aye,"  said  he,  "  that  is  it,  that  is  it ;  it  is 
the  very  promise  suited  to  me  ;  I  will  trust  and  not 
be  afraid." 

A  few  nights  since,  he  was  standing  in  a  similar 
condition.  Grasping  with  his  hands  the  back  of  a 
sofa  which  had  been  turned  toward  liim  in  order 
that  he  might  support  himself,  a  strong  man  holding 
him  up  by  each  arm,  he  seemed  to  find  a  momentary 
relief  in  conversation.  I  was  led  to  observe,  Sir,  it 
is  painful  to  us  to  see  you  suffer  while  we  can  do 
nothing  to  assuage  your  pains.  But  in  all  this  I 
have  one  comfort.  In  your  case  it  is  only  the  body 
that  suffers.  Your  soul  can  bask  in  the  light  of 
God's  countenance.  You  have  mental  peace,  be- 
cause you  have  a  Saviour.  What,  if  like  some  that 
I  have  seen,  you  had  been  left  to  seek  your  salvation 
in  your  last  sickness,  and  were  groping  about  to  find 
some  solid  grounds  of  confidence  ?  "  Yes,"  he  ex- 
claimed, "  thank  God  for  that !  It  is  '  only  the 
body ! '  I  know  in  whom  I  have  believed.  This 
chastening,  for  the  present,  is  grievous,  but  the  fu- 
ture is  bright!" 

On  the  last  Tuesday  evening,  as  I  entered  his 
chamber,  after  having  been  a  few  hours  absent  from 
the  city,  he  saluted  me  with  the  exclamation,  "  Dear 


Christian  Greatness.  303 

sir,  I  am  here  yet ! "  To  this  I  replied  by  the  in- 
quiry (containing  an  allusion  to  some  remarks  that 
he  had  made  on  the  day  preceding),  Did  you  expect 
to  leave  this  world  before  we  should  meet  again  ? 
He  answered,  "  Yes  ;  twenty  times  last  night  I 
thought  my  hour  had  come,  and,  if  I  may  so  speak,  I 
tried  to  die.  But  then,  on  reflection,  it  seemed  to  me 
to  be  as  wrong  to  wish  to  die  before  God's  time  as 
it  is  to  wish  to  live  beyond  it.  So  I  checked  the 
wish,  and  concluded  that  it  is  best  to  be  quietly  and 
submissively  in  God's  hands,  and  wait  my  appointed 
time."  Friends  and  hearers,  it  is  natural  for  us  to 
admire  such  a  sentiment ;  it  is  easy  for  us  to  express 
it  while  in  the  possession  of  health  and  strength  ; 
but  when  I  heard  it  uttered  by  the  lips  of  one  who 
was  grappling  with  the  agonies  of  dissolution,  it 
seemed  to  me  to  be  the  expression  of  an  heroic  faith 
having  an  aspect  of  true  moral  sublimity. 

Throughout  the  whole  of  Wednesday  last  he  ap- 
peared to  be  failing  fast,  and  consciously  drawing 
near  the  final  moment.  Comparatively  speaking, 
his  sufferings  had  ceased.  He  spoke  but  little.  His 
inability  to  receive  either  food  or  medicine,  indi- 
cated the  exhaustion  of  his  powers.  Throughout 
the  evening  liis  respirations  became  shorter,  his 
head  gradually  sunk  upon  his  breast,  until,  at  last, 
he  ceased  to  breathe.  Yet,  the  expression  of  his 
countenance  was  such  as  to  lead  his  physician.  Dr. 
Cogswell,  who  was  standing  near  him,  to  say  to  me 
in  a  subdued  whisper,  but  a  few  minutes  before  the 
final  expiration,  "  He  knows  us  all,  and  hears  all 
that  is  said."     It  was  the  peaceful  close  of  a  useful 


304  Christian  Greatness. 


life.  The  scene  was  adapted  to  impress  every  be- 
holder with  the  idea  of  moral  grandeur.  For,  there 
he  sat  in  his  chair  as  if  calmly  waiting  for  death  ; 
and  after  death  had  come,  his  position  would  have 
realized  an  old  Roman's  loftiest  conception  of  dignity, 
while  there  he  sat  as  one  enjoying  repose  after  an 
arduous  contest : 

"  like  a  warrior  taking  his  rest, 


With  his  martial  cloak  around  him." 

He  is  gone  !  And  now,  as  we  look  in  each  other's 
faces,  and  repeat  that  sentence  in  each  other's  ears, 
we  sympathize  in  the  sense  of  painful  bereavement. 
The  fact,  as  yet,  scarcely  seems  real.  But  yesterday 
we  went  in  company  to  his  tomb.  The  unostenta- 
tious character  of  the  funeral  w^as  an  expression  of 
the  character  of  the  man  ;  for  it  was  in  obedience 
to  his  own  instructions  that  there  should  be  only  a 
simple  service  after  the  common  manner.  The 
general  suspension  of  business  and  the  Sabbath-like 
silence  of  the  streets  indicated  an  all-pervading 
grief.  I  participate  largely  in  the  common  sorrow  ; 
for  memory  reverts  to  those  years  of  my  youth  when 
I  was  accustomed  to  linger  on  my  visits  to  his 
pleasant  home,  during  intervals  of  release  from 
academic  study,  and  when  I  began  to  cherish  toward 
him  a  feeling  akin  to  tlie  filial  ;  and  I  am,  too,  op- 
pressed with  a  sense  of  disappointment,  because  the 
prospect  of  my  residence  in  tliis  city  was  lately  illu- 
mined by  the  anticipation  of  enjoying  his  society. 
But  it  becomes  us  all  to  bow  submissively  to  the 
announcement  of  God's  sovereign  will,  and  to  bless 


Christian  Greatness.  305 


his  name  for  all  the  good  that  he  hath  wrought 
amongst  us,  and  in  the  world  around  us,  by  the 
hand  of  his  servant,  who  hath  now  gone  to  his  grave 
as  the  shock  of  corn  goeth  "  in  its  season  "  to  the 
garner. 


CHRISTIANITY 


AND 


PAUPERISM 


DISCOURSE 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  PAUPERISM; 

A    DISCOURSE. 


PSALM   XLT.    I. 

BLESSED    IS    HE    WHO    CONSIDERETH   THE    POOR. 

The  text  describes  a  character.  It  would  let  us 
know,  who  it  is  that  may  be  called  a  happy  man,  and 
asserts  that  it  is  the  charitable  man — he  who  consider- 
eth  the  poor.  The  selfish  man  of  the  world,  taking 
counsel  of  his  own  heart,  may  ask,  "  How  can  that 
be  ?  Is  there  any  anything  attractive  in  the  siglit  of 
squalid  want,  of  tattered  garments,  of  bitter  tears, 
and  helpless  misery  ?  I  can  conceive  of  enjoyment 
in  considering  the  wonders  and  glories  of  creation, 
the  sky,  and  earth,  and  sea,  in  tlieir  mild  beauty  or 
their  stormy  grandeur  ;  in  beholding  the  bloom  of 
Nature,  or  the  charms  of  art,  in  surrounding  one's 
self  with  the  innocent  delights  which  wealth  may 
command — the  comforts  of  home  and  the  pleasures 
of  select  society  ;  in  breathing  the  fresh  and  fragrant 
air  of  one's  own  parlor,  where  the  sweet  influences 
of  music,  and  song,  and  literature,  and  friendship, 
all  combine  to  dispel  care,  to  soften  the  asperities 
of  life,  to  smooth  the  brow,  and  light  up  the  features 
with  the  expression  of  a  chastenecl  hilarity.  These 
are  things  worth  living  for,  and  the  anticipation  of 


310  Christianity  and  Pauperism. 

them  nerves  me  to  dare  and  to  endure.  And  having 
gained  all  these,-can  it  be  happiness  to  leave  all,  even 
for  an  hour,  to  breathe  the  damp,  pent-up  air  of  the 
garrets  and  cellars  of  the  poor  ;  to  hear  their  com- 
plaints, to  share  their  sorrows,  and  to  diminish  one's 
amount  of  property  for  their  sake  ?  No.  You  may 
call  it  a  duty,  a  task — a  tax  to  be  paid: — a  burden  to 
be  borne  :  but  it  is  contrary  to  reason  and  expe- 
rience to  call  it  a  means  of  happiness J^  So  speaks 
the  mere  worldling,  both  in  theory  and  practice. 
The  ''  luxury  of  doing  good  "  he  knows  not.  Of  the 
charity  that  is  "  twice  blessed — blessing  him  that 
gives  and  him  that  takes  " — he  has  no  conception. 
The  very  phrase  seems  to  be  drawn  from  the  ro- 
mance, not  the  reality  of  life.  His  oracle  does  not 
teach  it,  his  maxims  do  not  recognize  it.  No  :  the 
doctrine  that  it  is  happiness  to  consider  the  poor,  that 
it  is  "  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive,"  is  not 
the  language  of  the  world's  philosophy,  nor  a  senti- 
ment inspired  by  the  genius  of  ambition,  nor  pro- 
mulgated from  the  throne  of  fashion  ;  but  the  teach- 
ing of  that  Christianity,  whose  spirit  is  the  spirit  of 
pure  benevolence,  and  which  seeks  to  toucli  and 
move  our  hearts  by  the  example  of  him  who,  though 
he  was  rich,  for  our  sakes  became  poor,  that  we, 
through  his  poverty,  might  be  made  rich. 

The  world's  philosophy  has  no  heart.  The  Epicu- 
rean said  to  his  disciple,  ''  Take  care  of  your  health, 
avoid  excess  in  order  to  avoid  satiety — be  temperate 
in  order  to  enjoy— surround  yourself  with  all  that  is 
agreeable,  shun  all  unpleasant  sights  and  sounds— 
and  thus  will  you  attain  the  chief  end  of  man."     As 


Christianity  and  Pauperism.  311 

the  oracle  spoke,  Sensuality  took  the  hint,  placed 
herself  among  the  virtues,  and  in  the  name  of  reason 
extinguished  sympathy  for  the  poor.  The  Stotic 
said,  "  Take  things  as  they  come,  Fate  governs  all 
— what  is,  cannot  be  altered,  and  the  wise  man  cares 
for  nothing.  Do  you  complain  of  pain?  Believe 
me,  it  is  no  evil.  Do  you  groan  under  misfortune  ? 
Be  a  man,  and  despise  it.  Do  you  speak  of  poverty 
and  privation  ?  A  wise  man  will  be  as  happy  in 
that  condition  as  any  other.  Do  you  grieve  for  the 
Avoes  of  others  ?  Eschew  such  sorrows.  Why  should 
I  pity  others,  since  I  should  be  ashamed  to  ask  or 
receive  pity  for  myself  ?  "  Thus,  to  get  rid  of  mis- 
ery, it  crushed  sensibility,  turned  the  heart  of  flesh 
to  stone,  and  cherished  a  pride  whose  tender  mercy 
was  cruel. 

Paganism  had  no  heart.  The  natural  religious 
sentiment,  perverted  into  superstition,  clothed  in  the 
garb  of  an  elegant  mythology,  leading  to  the  wor- 
ship of 

Gods  partial,  changeful,  passionate,  unjust, 
Whose  attributes  were  rage,  revenge,  or  lust, 

did  nothing  to  promote  the  growth  of  charity,  or 
meliorate  the  condition  of  the  poor.  It  gave  man 
up  to  vile  affections,  quickened  his  lowest  propensi- 
ties, established  their  dominion,  and  left  him  "  im- 
placable and  unmerciful."  Neither  in  Greece,  or 
Italy,  where  it  put  on  its  finest  form,  did  it  leave 
any  memorial  of  its  beneficence  in  the  shape  of  a 
hospital,  or  a  public  institution  to  benefit  the  poor. 
The  nearest  approach  to  aught  like  this,  was  a  reg- 


812  Christianity  and  Pauperism. 

Illation  of  Trajan,  for  the  education  of  poor  children, 
which  he  first  confined  to  Rome,  and  then  extended 
to  Italy.  It  was,  however,  an  imperial  decree,  not 
a  charitable  institution  ;  for  the  legal  interest  of 
money  being  then  twelve  per  cent.,  the  Emperor  lent 
money  at  five  per  cent.,  and  obliged  all  his  debtors 
to  pay  the  interest  into  an  office  established  for  the 
purpose.  The  interest  being  low,  the  number  of 
borrowers  was  large,  and  the  treasury  overflowing. 
But  this  was  an  appeal  to  covetousness,  not  to  ben- 
evolence, and  in  keeping  with  the  spirit  of  a  low 
and  selfish  system  of  religion.  It  remained  for 
Christianity  to  proclaim  to  the  world  the  true  law 
of  love  ;  to  take  this  element  of  goodness,  which  Ju- 
daism had  confined  to  a  narrow  pale,  and  to  make  it 
universal  ;  and  in  saying  to  each  and  all.  Thou  shalt 
love  tliy  neighbor  as  thyself,  to  show  that  the  angels 
who  had  heralded  its  birth,  were  true  to  its  spirit 
of  philanthropy,  when  they  sang.  Peace  on  earth 
and  good-will  to  man. 

But  in  Christianity  there  is  no  ultraism.  That  is, 
there  is  in  it  no  tendency  to  fix  the  attention  on  one 
thing,  to  the  neglect  of  the  relations  which  it  bears 
to  other  things.  It  has  no  such  impress  of  human 
imperfection.  Its  mercy  has  a  definite  relation  to 
justice  ;  its  benefactions  are  suited  to  condition  and 
character.  In  seeking  to  relieve  poverty,  it  does 
not  overlook  the  cause  and  cure  of  poverty.  It  does 
not  forget  that  industry  is  a  virtue,  that  idleness  is 
a  shame  and  sin  ;  that  to  give  alms  to  a  beggar  who 
is  able  to  help  liimself,  is  to  award  a  premium  to 
sloth,  to  nourish  vice,  and  so  to  increase  the  evil 


Christianity  and  Pauperism.  313 


which  we  profess  to  remedy.  Thus  it  enforces  the 
arrangement  of  the  Author  of  Nature,  wlio  has  made 
exertion  essential  to  comfort.  It  declares  that 
"  drowsiness  shall  clothe  a  man  with  rags  ;"  that 
while  the  garden  of  the  sluggard  is  bearing  briars, 
and  he  folds  his  liands,  "  liis  poverty  shall  come  as 
one  that  travaileth,  and  his.Avant  as  an  armed  man  ;'' 
that  he  who  dealeth  loith  a  slack  hand,  shall  be  poo?',  and 
with  the  voice  of  entreaty,  beseeches  all  to  study  to 
be  quiet,  to  do  their  own  business,  to  woi'k  ivith  their 
own  hands,  that  they  may  walk  honestly,  and  have  lack 
of  nothing  ;  and  then,  with  the  voice  of  authority, 
utters  its  command,  saying,  "  If  any  man  will  not 
work,  neither  shall  he  eat.''  While,  therefore,  it 
teaches  us  to  seek  out  and  relieve  helpless  distress, 
it  forbids  us  to  reverse  the  law  of  Nature,  which 
makes  want  the  consequent  of  sloth,  and  the  pains 
of  hunger  tlie  punishment  of  a  wilful  and  shameless 
beggary. 

Thus  we  see  that  the  benevolence  of  Christianity 
commands  the  respect  of  the  judgment,  as  well  as 
the  suffrage  of  the  heart  ;  addresses  not  only  the 
feeling  of  compassion,  but  also  the  sense  of  justice 
and  of  fitness,  A  system  of  charity,  in  order  to  gain 
an  effective  hold  upon  the  mind  of  an  intelligent  com- 
munity, must  have  regard  to  both  of  these  elements. 
Now,  it  is  quite  remarkable,  that  Avherever  the  teach- 
ings of  the  Bible  have  not  furnished  a  standard  of 
action,  where  they  have  been  unknown  or  unstudied, 
there  has  been  a  neglect  of  one  or  tiie  other  of  these 
features  in  the  mode  of  treating  the  poor.  The  poor 
have  either  been  despised,  or  else  helped  in  such  a 


314  Christianity  and  Pauperism. 

way  as  to  injure  them.  Poverty  has  been  treated 
with  cruelty,  as  if  it  were  a  deserved  disgrace  and 
punishment,  or  else  so  relieved  as  to  aggravate  it. 
Alms  have  either  been  withheld  entirely,  or  so  dis- 
pensed as  to  extinguish  in  the  poor  all  sense  of  honor 
or  of  shame,  and  to  smooth  their  path,  in  descending 
to  still  lower  depths.  The  sigh  of  distress  has  been 
constantly  opening  afresh  the  fountains  of  feeling  in 
the  bosoms  of  the  compassionate,  and  the  abuses  of 
compassion  have  been  steeling  the  hearts  of  another 
class  of  men  against  all  appeals  to  pity. 

How  to  give  immediate  relief  to  the  sufferings  of 
poverty,  so  as  not  to  increase  its  ultimate  virulence, 
is  a  grave  and  interesting  problem.  Especially  must 
it  be  so  regarded  by  a  youthful  nation  like  this,  who 
can  exclude  from  our  soil  the  very  germs  of  those 
evils,  which  the  older  nations  of  the  world  are  la- 
boring as  with  convulsive  death-throes  to  extirpate. 
What  deep  groans  is  England  heaving  at  this  liour, 
under  the  weight  of  her  pauperism  !  It  has  been 
said  by  Lord  Brougliam,  in  his  place  in  the  House 
of  Lords,  that  "  the  sad  system  of  the  poor  laws  had 
entailed  on  the  people  of  the  country  miseries  which 
were  yet  unmeasured.  They  had  ruined  the  property 
of  the  country,  and  brought  equal  ruin  on  the  char- 
acter of  the  laboring  classes.  They  had  led  these 
classes  into  a  condition  where  industry  was  robbed 
of  its  rights,  and  idleness,  vice,  and  profligacy  had 
usurped  those  rights  ;  while  property  was  reduced 
to  a  state  (not  even  by  a  change  so  beneficial  as  an 
agrarian  law,)  bordering  on  destruction.  In  short, 
England,  under  the  operation  of  those  poor  laws, 


Christianity  and  Pauperism.  315 


exhibited  at  this  moment  a  country,  where  was  peace 
without  plenty,  profound  outward  tranquillity,  with 
constant  inward  disturbance,  and  rancor  between 
the  two  great  classes — the  laborers  and  the  rich." 
These  truths  are  as  obvious  as  they  are  startling. 

The  American,  on  arriving  in  England,  is  often 
struck  with  the  fact,  that  the  poor  around  him,  who 
have  emerged  to  the  light  of  day,  have  come  up  from 
far  lower  depths  of  misery  and  degradation,  than 
any  which  exists  in  his  native  land.  x4nd  yet  in 
England,  the  poor  rates  amount  to  more  than  twice 
the  expenses  of  government  in  the  United  States — 
even  to  thirty  millions  of  dollars  a  year  !  Besides 
this,  what  a  vast  amount  is  given  by  the  hand  of 
private  charity  to  the  deserving  poor,  as  well  as  to 
professed  beggars  !  Bad  as  the  moral  effect  of  lux- 
ury may  be,  it  is  doubtless  far  better  for  society,  that 
the  rich  should  spend  their  money  in  the  luxuries 
that  create  employment,  than  that  by  a  close  econ- 
omy they  should  give  all  their  surplus  to  the  poor. 

It  matters  somewhat,  but  not  a  great  deal,  whether 
the  begging  poor  can  calculate  on  a  sum  of  money 
furnished  by  poor  laws,  or  by  charitable  societies. 
In  the  latter  case,  there  is  a  stronger  appeal  to  grat- 
itude. But  in  either  case,  the  sum  is  placed  among 
their  regular  expenditures ;  the  good  which  it  does 
them  is  very  temporary,  while  the  evil  is  very  great 
and  lasting.  How  effectually  does  it  palsy  the  spirit 
of  self-reliance,  the  principle  of  self-respect,  and 
break  the  inward  spring  of  moral  energy  and  manly 
virtue !  The  more  ample  and  sure  these  provisions 
are  beyond  a  certain  limit,  the  more  numerous  the 


316  Christianity  and  Pauperism. 


poor  become^  The  truth  of  this  may  be  seen  illus- 
trated in  some  parts  of  Italy,  where,  according  to 
the  popular  doctrine,  almsgiving  is  made  so  much  of 
as  a  meritorious  means  of  purchasing  Divine  re- 
wards. There,  the  splendors  of  the  sky,  the  balmy 
air,  the  fertile  fields,  the  miracles  of  art  and  genius, 
often  awaken  in  the  traveller's  bosom  an  exquisite 
pleasure,  which  ever  and  anon  is  marred  and  dis- 
sipated by  the  scenes  of  human  wretchedness  around 
him.  At  Rome,  you  might  be  lingering,  on  some 
evening,  at  sunset,  around  that  most  delightful  spot, 
the  Pincian  Way,  admiring  the  city  spread  out  be- 
low and  beyond  you,  and  the  radiance  of  the  western 
horizon,  falling  in  a  rich  flood  upon  the  mighty  dome 
of  St.  Peter's.  You  might  be  saying  to  yourself, 
"  What  a  paradise  is  this  !"  But  scarcely  would  you 
have  time  to  become  absorbed  in  the  enchanting 
vision,  ere  beggary  thrusts  its  deformities  in  your 
sight,  lifts  its  piteous  moan,  and  presses  its  harass- 
ing supplication.  It  is  a  poverty,  too,  which  seems 
to  be  more  deeply  engraven  in  the  countenance,  than 
any  which  we  see  here,  and  to  have  touched  the 
shrivelled  skin,  and  every  nerve  and  muscle,  with  a 
strange  power  of  expressing  wretchedness.  If  any 
of  you  have  seen  West's  picture  of  Christ  healing 
the  sick,  you  have  probably  noticed  with  what  skill 
the  painter  has  aimed  to  show  the  fact,  that  in  the 
old  world,  where  poverty  is  transmitted  from  gen- 
eration to  generation,  most  wonderfully  a  man  be- 
comes a  very  personification  of  imbecility  and  mis- 
ery. And  yet  at  Rome  there  are  richly-endowed 
institutions  for  the  poor,  twenty-two  hospitals,  and 


Christianity  and  Pauperism.  317 

indeed  a  patrimony  with  as  large  a  revenue  as  is 
to  be  found  in  any  city  in  Christendom. 

If,  then,  experiments  at  home,  if  observation 
abroad,  if  the  history  of  the  world,  prove  any  thing, 
it  is,  that  indiscriminate  almsgiving  inflicts  a  heavy 
curse  ;  that  to  permit  those  who  can  and  ought  to 
take  care  of  themselves,  to  depend  on  alms  at  all,  is 
to  aggravate  calamity.  It  is  to  unnerve  the  inner 
man,  to  foster  habits  adverse  to  the  earthly,  spir- 
itual, and  eternal  good  of  the  poor,  and  to  bring  a 
mighty  mass  of  "  dead  weight "  upon  an  active  com- 
munity. Instances  have  been  known  in  this  country 
and  in  others,  of  men,  just  able  to  sustain  themselves 
by  their  labor,  under  an  extraordinary  pressure,  be- 
ing invited  to  partake  of  some  surplus  provision  for 
the  poor.  At  first,  th6y  have  declined,  but  have  at 
last  consented  ;  and  from  that  hour  to  the  day  of 
their  death,  their  names  were  never  off  the  poor  list. 
Who,  that  thinks  how  widely  spread  and  deeply 
rooted  is  pauperism  in  other  lands,  is  not  appalled 
at  the  thought  of  its  growing  with  our  growth  and 
strengthening  with  our  strength, — of  its  increasing 
its  multitudes  here,  where  each  class  of  society  is  so 
intimately  united  to  every  other,  bound  together  in 
one  social  compact,  and  one  civil  destiny  1  The 
question  before  us,  then  is, — what  is  to  be  done  ?  In 
that,  each  individual  should  take  an  interest.  The 
generic  answer  to  the  question  is  that  which  the  text 
suggests,  to  consider  the  poor.  To  develop  and  ap- 
ply this  direction,  in  a  few  particulars,  will  occupy 
the  remainder  of  this  discourse.     Let  me  ask  you, 


318  Christianity  and  Pauperism. 


then,  to  proceed  with  me,  while  I  consider  the  con- 
dition of  the  poor,  and  the  duties  thence  arising. 

The  poor,  in  all  countries,  may  be  divided  into 
several  classes.  I.  There  are  the  vicious  poor.  The 
chief  vices  which  degrade  them,  the  causes  of  their 
poverty,  are  idleness  and  intemperance.  The  action 
of  these  is  reciprocal.  The  one  produces  or  fosters 
the  other  ;  and  either  may  bring  all  evils  in  its 
train.  Sloth  throws  open  the  flood  gates  of  tempta- 
tion. It  has  been  well  said,  "  an  idle  mind  is  the 
devil's  ivorkshop,^^  and  the  way  in  which  he  works  has 
been  described  somewhere,  by  a  poetic  pen. 

Of  sloth  comes  weariness — of  that  comes  drinking: 
Of  drinking  comes  disease,  of  disease  comes  spending ; 
Of  spending  comes  want — of  want  comes  theft ; 
Of  theft  comes  what? — a  sad  catastrophe — 
Disgrace  without,  a  hell  within,  a  death  unmourned. 

Three  fourths  of  the  pauperism  in  this  land 
spring  from  intemperance,  and  the  evil  defies  relief, 
until  the  cause  be  removed.  Yet  in  looking  at  the 
history  of  intemperance,  let  it  not  be  forgotten,  that 
the  sin  of  it  among  the  poor  is  to  some  extent  to  be 
charged  upon  the  rich.  How  could  the  poor  be  pre- 
served from  the  vortex  of  intemperance,  when  the 
rich  smoothed  the  way  thither  by  their  example  ? 
Whilst  the  use  of  ardent  spirits  was  fashionable  and 
honorable — when  the  invitation  to  partake  of  it  was 
deemed  the  appropriate  expression  of  hospitality — 
when  it  was  taken  at  all  seasons  and  on  all  occasions 
—in  winter  to  guard  against  cold,  and  in  summer  to 
guard  against  heat ;  to  nerve  the  body  amidst  the 


Christianity  and  Pauperism.  319 

lassitude  of  labor,  and  to  exhilarate  the  heart  when 
the  spirits  were  depressed,  how  could  the  poor,  ayIio 
had  tenfold  more  need  of  such  a  panacea  than  the 
rich,  be  expected  to  resist  the  influence  of  public 
opinion  and  practice  ?  Oh  no  ;  when  now  you  see 
the  poor  victim  of  intemperance,  clad  in  rags,  or 
shivering  with  cold,  cut  him  not  loose  at  once  from 
your  sympathies,  as  being  the  sole  and  guilty  author 
of  his  woes,  but  remember,  that  he  may  have  been 
borne  onward  to  his  ruin  upon  the  tide  of  influence 
which  has  come  down  from  the  high  places  of  the 
•land,  and  which,  though  smooth  and  gentle  in  its 
flow,  terminates  in  a  dark  unfathomed  gulf  of  help- 
less misery. 

After  all  that  you  have  read  and  heard  and  thought 
upon  this  subject,  it  is  not  needful  that  I  should  now 
speak  to  you  of  the  evils  of  intemperance,  of  the  na- 
ture and  power  of  alcohol,  its  efTects  upon  the  body 
and  mind  of  man,  of  the  burning  thirst  which  every 
drop  creates  for  more,  of  the  inflamed  blood,  the 
quickened  pulse,  the  fevered  brain,  the  weakened 
muscle,  the  unnerved  system,  which  it  induces  ;  the 
callous  conscience,  the  hardened  heart,  the  blunted 
reason,  the  distorted  judgment,  the  withered  sympa- 
thies, the  cold  chills  of  a  depressed  spirit,  or  the  un- 
earthly gleams  of  a  frantic  joy,  which  mark  its  pres- 
ence ;  of  the  squandered  wealth,  the  blasted  reputa- 
tion, the  domestic  woes,  the  sighs  of  the  mother,  the 
tears  of  the  wife,  the  maddening  terrors  of  the  child 
to  which  it  gives  rise  ;  of  the  rampant  passions,  and 
fiend-like  purposes,  and  horrid  crimes  which  it 
causes  ;  of  the  constant  and  increasing  taxation  of 


320  Christianity  and  Pauperism. 

liealtli  and  wealth,  and  blood  and  souls,  whicli  this 
insatiate  monster  levies  upon  the  community  in 
which  he  is  permitted  to  stalk  abroad. 

But  I  will  say,  that  it  is  in  vain  for  us  to  deplore 
the  evil  of  pauperism,  and  worse  than  in  vain  to  give 
money  to  mitigate  it,  unless  we  do  what  we  can  to 
dry  up  the  springs  of  intemperance.  In  order  to  do 
this,  it  becomes  us  to  summon  every  element  of  law- 
ful power  at  our  command.  And  truly,  while  ming- 
ling our  griefs  with  those  of  many  thousand  helpless 
mourners,  whose  abodes  this  vice  has  made  desolate, 
and  while  contriljuting  from  our  purses  to  their 
relief,  it  is  a  hard  thing  to  be  told  that  legislation 
can  do  nothing  for  us.  Is  it-  not  hard,  that  while 
you  are  taxed  for  the  support  of  the  poor  slaves  of 
intemperance  in  our  asylums,  I  should  be  constrain- 
ed to  ask  you  to  come  to  our  aid  in  saving  from 
pinching  cold  and  from  starvation  those  more  than 
widowed  wives,  those  more  than  orphan  children 
who  are  thus  wantonly  deprived  of  their  natural 
protectors  ?  Yet  this  is  a  part  of  my  mission  as  a 
Christian  minister,  and  the  philosophy  of  a  free  gov- 
ernment which  prevails  around  us,  tells  you  in  effect, 
that  no  law  can  provide  an  antidote  for  such  an  evil, 
because,  however  largely  it  may  swell  its  catalogue 
of  woes,  the  right  of  individuals  to  inflict  them  can 
not  be  questioned,  or  at  least  not  invaded.  Never- 
theless, take  courage  !  The  recent  reform  in  Ire- 
land, achieved  without  the  aid  of  legislation,  is  full 
of  incitements  to  us  to  move  on  unweariedly  in  this 
great  work.  Marvellous  as  is  the  change  wrought 
there,  I  doubt  not  that  it  will  be  lasting  ;  for  when 


Christianity  and  Pauperism.  321 

the  poor  mau  coines  to  find  on  Saturday  night,  that 
he  has  more  abundant  comforts  than  he  was  wont  in 
his  cabin,  a  cheerful  fire  on  his  hearth,  a  happy  fam- 
ily, and  money  to  spare  in  his  pocket,  his  eyes  will 
be  opened  to  the  charms,  and  his  heart  enraptured 
by  the  blessings  of  temperance. 

But  then,  secondly,  there  are  the  helpless  poor, 
whose  poverty  is  the  effect  of  natural  causes,  which 
include  whatever  takes  from  them  the  ability  to  la- 
bor. The  blind,  the  lame,  the  maimed,  the  aged, 
orphan  children,  and  such  as  are  burdened  with  the 
support  of  others  in  a  like  condition,  come  within 
this  class.  Hard  is  their  lot.  To  them  life  has  but 
few  attractions.  They  know  nothing  of  its  luxuries, 
but  little  of  its  comforts,  and  to  them  earth  is,  in 
every  sense,  "  a  vale  of  tears,^^  except  that,  by  means 
of  the  religion  which  their  faith  embraces.  Heaven 
pours  its  own  light  around  their  dark  abode,  and 
shows  them,  that  from  the  gloomy  pathway  in  which 
they  walk,  they  will  emerge  into  those  realms  of 
light  and  peace,  where  none  shall  say,  "  I  am  sick," 
and  where  the  tears  shall  be  wiped  from  off  all  faces. 
With  some  such  I  am  acquainted,  and  am  much  their 
debtor.  I  have  learned  much  from  them.  I  have 
learned  lessons  of  contentment,  more  deeply  learned 
them,  than  I  could  have  done  by  any  eloquence  of 
words.  I  have  learned  the  simplicity,  the  beauty, 
the  power,  of  a  vital  faith  in  Christ ;  its  fitness  to 
meet  man's  cravings  amidst  his  darkest  hours  and 
deepest  wants  ;  and  if  there  be  any  here  who  desire 
to  advance  in  Christian  virtue  and  practical  wisdom, 
I  commend  such  cases  to  your  regard,  that  you  may 


322  Christianity  and  Pauperism. 


know  the  full  meaning  of  the  text,  "  Blessed  is  the 
man  that  consiclereth  the  poor." 

Let  no  one  deem  this  the  mere  language  of  ro- 
mance. There  are  those  whose  designation  in  the 
"  record  on  high,"  is,  the  poor  of  my  people.  In  the 
midst  of  their  deep  poverty,  they  are  rich  in  the 
fruits  of  faith.  How  often  have  I  thought  of  this, 
when  accustomed  to  visit  the  chamber  of  one  who 
had  been  confined  to  her  bed  for  a  long  series  of 
years.  Emaciated,  helpless,  dependent  to  a  great 
degree  on  the  hand  of  charity,  lier  features  were 
usually  lighted  up  with  the  expression  of  a  heavenly 
peace  of  spirit.  To  the  child  of  pleasure  and  of 
fashion,  her  abode  might  sepm  a  gloomy  place  ;  to 
her,  it  was  "  the  gate  of  heaven."  "  It  is  true,"  she 
would  say,  "  my  path  seems  dark  and  rough,  but  I 
am  led  by  a  kind  Father's  hand.  I  know  that  all 
things  shall  work  together  for  good  to  them  that 
love  Him.  His  way  is  in  the  deep  ;  the  dispensa- 
tions of  his  Providence  are  mysterious  ;  but  then, 

"  God  is  his  own  interpreter, 
And  lie  will  make  it  plain." 

And  truly,  I  ask,  is  it  not  plain  to  us  all,  that  in 
such  an  instance  of  meek  and  suffering  piety  as  this, 
God  speaks  to  all  who  witness  it,  to  teach  us  how 
little  the  world  can  do  to  make  us  really  happy,  and 
of  what  transcendent  worth  are  ''  the  riches  of  his 
grace."  Thus,  too,  would  he  quicken  our  Christian 
sympathies  into  lively  exercise,  by  leading  us  to  a 
tender  treatment  of  those  whom,  by  his  own  severe 
discipline,  he  is  preparing  for  the  skies.     For,  doubt- 


Christianity  and  Pauperism.  323 

less,  he  often  sees  it  to  be  best  to  blight  our  fairest 
worldly  prospects,  to  draw  our  hearts  to  heaven. 
He  mars  our  "  pleasant  pictures,"  in  order  to  save 
our  souls.  Just  as  it  was  when  a  celebrated  artist 
stood  on  a  lofty  scaffold,  endeavoring,  by  the  touches 
of  his  magic  pencil,  to  realize  the  ideas  of  beauty 
which  were  glowing  in  his  -mind.  All  absorbed  in 
his  tasteful  employment,  he  was  moving  quickly 
backward  to  the  edge  of  the  precipice,  to  catch  a 
new  glimpse  of  the  enchanting  object,  when  in  an  in- 
stant a  friendly  hand  seized  a  sponge,  dashed^it  upon 
the  picture,  and  by  spoiling  its  beauty,  saved  his  life. 
So  God  deals  with  men.  The  bereaving  stroke  is 
often  a  proof  of  his  love  ;  and  while  he  regards  the 
sufferer  with  a  friendly  eye,  has  that  sufferer  no 
claim  on  our  regard,  sympathy  and  care?  Most 
eminently  shall  it  be  found  true,  in  such  a  case,  "  he 
that  giveth  unto  the  poor,  lendeth  unto  the  Lord." 

There  is  a  third  class,  who  may  be  called  the 
temporarily  poor,  whose  want  arises  from  transient 
and  accidental  causes, — as  misfortune  in  business, 
unproductive  seasons,  excessive  cold,  or  lack  of 
employment.  They  are  those  whose  productive  in- 
dustry is  barely  sufficient  to  meet  their  daily  exi- 
gencies, and  of  course  the  moment  their  ability  to 
work  ceases,  the  pressure  of  want  commences.  Their 
case  demands  special  and  prompt  attention,  and 
peculiar  care  should  be  taken  in  dispensing  aid,  to 
do  it  in  such  a  way  as  not  to  diminish  their  self- 
respect,  nor  to  paralyze  the  spirit  of  independence 
which  has  lived  in  their  bosoms  as  a  spring  of 
activity.     It  should  prove  itself  to  be  the  offspring 


024  Christianity  and  Pauperism. 

of  a  fraternal  and  manly  sympathy,  seeking  to  relieve 
a  misfortune  to  which  all  are  liable  ;  and  this,  in- 
stead of  weakening,  would  quicken  that  generous 
ambition  to  do  well,  which  leads  one  to  look  on 
'*  the  bright  side  of  things,"  and  to  make  the  most 
of  small  advantages. 

In  order  to  perform  well  the  duties  which  we  owe 
to  this  class,  it  becomes  us  to  cherish  a  profound 
respect  for  man  as  man,  a  rational  being  and  a 
creature  of  God,  capable  of  being  raised  from  the 
lowest  depths  of  degradation  to  the  highest  walks 
of  virtue,  honor,  and  happiness.  This  will  give 
power  to  our  benevolence.  It  will  beam  forth  from 
our  features,  it  will  animate  our  manners,  it  will 
modify  our  tones  of  voice,  and  will  enable  us  to 
utter  those  "  winged  words,"  which  will  find  their 
way  to  the  hearts  of  the  poor.  The  spirit  appro- 
priate to  this  service  was  once  beautifully  expressed 
by  Boudon,  an  eminent  French  surgeon,  who  was 
called  to  perform  an  important  operation  on  Cardi- 
nal du  Bois,  the  Prime  Minister  of  France.  As  he 
entered  the  room,  the  Cardinal  said  to  him,  "  You 
must  not  expect  to  handle  me  so  roughly  as  you  do 
those  miserable  Avr etches  at  your  hospitals."  The 
surgeon  replied  with  dignity,  "  My  lord,  each  one 
of  those  whom  you  are  pleased  to  call  miserable 
wretches,  is  a  Prime  Minister  in  my  eyes !" 

A  fourth  class  consists  of  the  regular  working  poor^ 
whose  labor  is  not  sufficient  to  supply  their  wants. 
Their  employment  is  variable  ;  they  are  dependent 
on  uncertain  jobs  ;  they  live  "  from  hand  to  mouth." 
The  family,  perhaps,  is  quite  large,  having  in  it  a 


Christianity  and  Pauperism.  325 

number  dependent  on  the  rest — some  either  very 
old,  or  verj  young,  or  quite  infirm.  Bound  together 
by  the  ties  of  family  relationship,  they  often  exhibit 
in  a  touching  manner  the  domestic  virtues, — meek- 
ness, tenderness,  patience  ;  and,  on  the  other  hand, 
frequently  show  an  utter  destitution  of  all  the  quali- 
ties which  make  a  happy  home.  These  dwell  on  the 
borders  of  beggary.  Hard  pressed  with  care,  they 
are  beset  with  temptations  to  cross  that  boundary, 
and  take  up  begging  as  a  trade.  Still,  for  them, 
that  would  be  a  sad  descent,  both  as  to  happiness 
and  character.  This  class  is  very  large,  and  makes 
a  demand  for  the  largest  share  of  Christian  con- 
sideration. There  is  continual  danger,  lest  being 
sick  at  heart,  with  anxiety,  disappointment,  and 
neglect,  they  give  themselves  up  doggedly  to  their 
fate,  and  cease  to  put  forth  'that  energy,  which  they 
possess  for  their  own  support.  What  these  chiefly 
need,  is  the  influence  of  personal  friendship — a  friend- 
ship which  sliall  make  them  feel  that  they  are  thought 
of,  cared  for,  respected  ;  and  which  will  thence  lead 
tliem  to  cherish  self-respect.  There  is  probably  no 
one  here  who  is  not  capable  of  being  a  friend,  to 
act  such  a  part  for  such  a  family.  It  would  not  cost 
much  time  or  much  money,  and  would  often  do  more 
good  than  money.  You  may  be  forced  to  say,  some- 
times, "  silver  and  gold  have  I  none  ;''  but  if  in  the 
spirit  of  a  friend  to  the  poor,  you  add,  "  such  as  I 
have,  give  I  thee,''  you  may  accomplish  what  would 
seem  almost  miraculous  to  the  eyes  of  others, — in  a 
sense,  causing  the  lame  to  rise  up  and  walk,  thanking 
you  and  praising  God. 


326  Christianity  and  Pauperism. 

The  class  of  the  laboring  poor  of  which  I  speak, 
are  those  who  have  hard  work  in  buffeting  the  cur- 
rents of  adversity  ;  and  sometimes,  as  they  look 
around,  and  feel  themselves  forgotten,  they  get  dis- 
couraged, are  tempted  to  give  up  exertion,  and  let 
themselves  sink  ;  but  the  touch  of  a  friendly  hand, 
and  the  cheering  of  a  friendly  voice,  will  put  new 
life  into  them, — will  keep  them  head  and  breast 
above  water,  and  perhaps  incite  them  to  struggle 
on,  until  they  can  place  their  feet  on  solid  ground. 

Another  thing  which  this  class  of  the  poor  justly 
claim  of  us,  is  liberality  in  our  dealings  with  them. 
They  ought  not  to  be  left  to  feel  that  the  rich  are 
their  oppressors,  who  begrudge  them  the  common 
blessings  of  Providence,  and  would  wish  them  to 
wear  a  suppliant,  cringing  air,  as  if  "  begging  pardon 
of  all  flesh  for  being  in  the  world."  This  all  acknow- 
ledge to  be  true  ;  and  yet  I  might  tell  you  of  cases, 
like  the  one  which  I  am  about  to  mention,  to  illus- 
trate the  principle.  On  a  cold  afternoon,  a  poor 
man  saw  a  load  of  coal  laid  before  the  door  of  a 
wealthy  merchant.  By  some  mistake,  no  one  had 
gone  from  the  coal-wharf  to  throw  it  in.  The 
passer-by  requested  the  job.  He  was  a  father, 
having  a  sick  wife,  and  several  children  dependent 
on  him.  He  proposed  to  do  the  work  for  a  reason- 
able sum, — not  more  than  enough  to  buy  a  supper 
for  his  family.  "  That  is  too  much,  by  half,"  said 
the  merchant.  The  poor  man  began  to  plead  his 
necessities.  His  manner  proved  his  anxiety  to 
obtain  what  he  sought.  This  made  the  merchant 
sure  of  carrying  his  point,  and  he  added,   "You 


Chkistianity  and  Pauperism.  827 

may  take  it,  if  you  choose,  for  half  wliat  you  ask  ; 
if  not,  leave  it," — and  turning  his  back,  shut  the 
door.  That  was  a  bitter  moment  to  the  laborer. 
In  his  bosom  opposing  feelings  were  struggling  for 
the  mastery.  At  first,  he  could  not  brook  the 
thought  of  taking  work  on  such  terms.  But  then 
he  remembered  his  cheerless  home,  his  helpless  wife, 
and  hungry  children  ;  a  tear  coursed  down  his 
manly  cheek,  and  seizing  his  shovel,  achieved  the 
job  for  nearly  half  of  what  he  knew  it  to  be  wortli. 

Was  that  treatment  right  ?  No  :  it  was  grinding 
the  face  of  the  poor,  and  incurring  that  curse,  which 
the  Most  High  uttered,  when  he  said,  "  He  that 
giveth  to  the  poor  shall  not  lack,  but  he  that  hideth 
his  eyes  shall  have  many  a  curse  ;"  "  he  that  oppress- 
eth  the  poor  reproacheth  his  Maker,  but  he  that 
honoreth  God,  hath  mercy  on  the  poor." 

Within  a  three  minutes'  walk  from  my  dwelling, 
there  lives  a  widow,  who  strives  to  support  herself 
by  daily  labor.  She  is  employed  in  making  shirts, 
for  each  of  which  she  receives  seven  cents.  She  is 
able  to  make  seven  of  these  articles  in  five  days, 
and  of  course  can  earn  but  little  over  nine  cents  a 
day.  Her  whole  time  is  employed,  her  whole 
strength  is  tasked,  to  gain  such  a  paltry  pittance. 
An  artful  beggar  could  get  more,  and  without  strong 
virtuous  feelings,  such  persons  must  yield  to  the 
temptation  to  become  beggars.  Surely,  it  is  dan- 
gerous to  cherish  a  state  of  things  in  which  any 
portion  of  the  community  are  forced  to  feel  that 
they  may  starve  by  industry,  and  thrive  by  beggary. 

In  dealing  with  the  active  poor,  we  should  show 


828  Christianity  and  Pauperism. 


04- 


a  respect  for  industry,  and  endeavor  to  foster  and 
reward  it,  whether  it  be  in  the  case  of  a  man  who 
gains  his  living  by  his  muscular  strength,  or  a  female 
wlio  toils  with  her  needle.  For  a  people  to  cherish 
a  right  tone  of  feeling  on  this  point,  is  better  than 
to  spend  large  fortunes  in  donations  ;  for  by  the 
former,  we  make  the  most  of  what  power  they  have 
to  help  themselves,  cherish  their  poral  strength  and 
active  virtue  ;  by  the  latter,  we  do  much  to  destroy 
all  self-reliance,  all  generous  aspirations. 

Rousseau,  talking  in  the  spirit  of  a  chimerical 
philosophy,  thought  that  an  equal  division  of  pro- 
perty in  a  community  would  make  all  honest  and 
peaceable,  as  it  would  remove  all  temptation  to 
envy,  theft,  or  violence.  As  well  might  he  have 
said,  that  an  equal  distribution  of  books  would 
make  all  men  literary,  or  that  an  equal  distribution 
of  cold  water  would  make  all  men  temperate.  No  : 
evils  which  take  their  rise  from  the  darkness  of  the 
mind,  or  the  disorder  of  the  moral  feelings,  cannot 
be  removed  by  such  specifics,  or  any  change  in  the 
outward  condition.  The  great  thing  to  be  done,  is, 
to  inculcate  riglit  principles,  to  call  forth  right  affec- 
tions, and  to  form  right  liabits,  which  are  "  the  ele- 
ments of  cliaracter,  and  the  masters  of  action." 

Having  respect  to  these  points,  it  only  remains 
that  we  adopt  some  plan,  by  which,  in  the  dispensa- 
tion of  our  charities  to  the  needy,  we  may  guard 
ourselves  against  the  danger  of  encouraging  idleness 
or  imposture.  To  this  subject,  the  attention  of  the 
Howard  Benevolent  Society  of  Boston  has  been 
steadfastly  directed.     On  this  account,  they  .have 


Christianity  and  Pauperism.  329 

cheerfully   cooperated   with   the   "  Society   for   the 
Prevention  of  Pauperism,"  which   was   formed   in 
that  city  a  few  years  ago.     This  Society,  acting  on 
the  principle  that  prevention  is  better  than  a  remedy, 
have  aimed  at  crushing  the  very  germs  of  pauperism. 
To  do  this,  its  first  measure  has  been,  to  procure 
employment  for  the  suffering  poor,  who  were  able 
and  willing  to  work.     During  a  single  year,  seven- 
teen hundred  and  six  persons  were  provided  with 
suitable  places,  through  its  agency.     What  a  large 
proportion  of  these  have  probably  been  saved  to 
.themselves  and  to  society !     Its  next  object   is,  to 
prevent  the  necessity  of  street  begging.     To  accom- 
plish this,  it  provides,  by  its  arrangements,  for  dis- 
pensing aid  to  those  only  who  will  not  abuse  it.     It 
sustains  an  agent,  who  is  constantly  devoted  to  its 
service,  and  who  may  be  found  at  his  office  every 
day,  from  nine  to  one  o'clock,  and  v/ho  spends  his 
afternoons  in  visiting  those  who  need  his  personal 
attention  ;    ascertaining    thus   their   character   and 
condition,  and  the  extent  to  which  aid  is  desirable. 
Lest  any  should  feel  constrained,  from  the  claims  of 
humanity,  to  give  at  hazard  to  strangers  at  their 
doors,  the   Society  furnishes   tickets,  at   six   cents 
each,  with  which  it  invites  the  benevolent  to  provide 
themselves  ;  and  then,  instead  of  giving  money  to 
an  unknown  applicant,  to  present  him  with  one  or 
more  of  these  tickets,  and  direct  him  to  the  office, 
where  his  wants  will   be  investigated,  and  proper 
relief  afforded.     If  this  plan  should  be  universally 
adopted,  it  will  form  an  effective  check  to  a  porten- 
tous and  growing  evil. 


330  Christianity  and  Pauperism. 

At  the  office  of  this  central  agency  of  which  I 
speak,  delegates  from  this  and  other  benevolent 
associations  of  the  city  meet  montlily,  and  review 
their  doings,  in  order  that  the  visitors  of  the  poor 
may  have  fully  before  them  the  condition  of  all  who 
have  been  the  subjects  of  charity.  In  this  way,  they 
are  enabled  very  soon  to  detect  any  impostor.  From 
such  a  position,  they  may  command  a  full  view  of 
the  whole  rugged  landscape  of  pauperism,  and  con- 
cert the  best  measures  to  make  its  "  crooked  paths 
straight,  its  rough  places  plain,"  and  to  throw  over 
it  a  softened  aspect  of  productive  industry,  peace, 
and  happiness. 

Certainly  no  one,  who  considers  for  a  moment 
how  easily  a  large  city  may  become  the  haunt  of 
shameless  mendicants,  and  that  the  very  renown  of 
its  benevolence,  the  number  of  its  charitable  institu- 
tions, will  attract  hordes  of  such  to  its  streets  and 
recesses,  can  fail  to  see  the  necessity  of  some  system, 
adapted  to  counteract  so  dreadful  a  tendency.  To 
do  this,  a  beginning  has  been  made,  and  we  call 
upon  all  that  are  near  and  around  us,  as  men,  citi- 
zens, and  Christians,  to  cooperate  in  this  work. 
Already  the  sons  of  New  England,  as  they  have 
viewed  the  multitudes  of  wretched  beings  who  throng 
the  capitals  of  Eui^ope,  and  beset  the  traveller  at 
every  step  of  his  way,  have  felt  their  hearts  throb 
with  grateful  emotion,  on  being  able  to  say,  "  the 
moans  of  beggary  are  rarely  heard  in  Boston." 
Let  us  arise,  and  grapple  with  this  evil  in  good 
earnest ;  not  merely  that  we  may  rejoice  in  so  noble 
a  distinction,  but  also  that  we  may  provoke  others 


Christianity  and  Pauperism.  331 

to  a  like  labor  of  love, — to  a  service  so  pleasing  to 
God,  so  auspicious  to  man. 

Let  it  be  the  aim  of  all  of  us  who  profess  to  be 
Christians,  to  pass  this  part  of  our  probation  well  ; 
to  feel,  in  the  retrospect  of  life,  that  we  have  so 
discharged  our  duties  to  the  unfortunate  around  us, 
as  to  have  become  benefactors  to  them,  and  to  our 
common  country  ;  to  be  able  to  say,  without  invok- 
ing a  curse  on  ourselves,  in  the  language  of  the 
stricken  Patriarch,  "  If  I  have  withheld  the  poor 
from  their  desire,  or  have  caused  the  eyes  of  the 
.widow  to  fail,  or  have  eaten  my  morsel  myself  alone, 
and  the  fatherless  have  not  partaken  thereof ;  if  I 
have  seen  any  perish  for  want  of  clothing,  or  any 
poor  without  covering  ;  if  his  loins  have  not  blessed 
me,  and  if  he  were  not  warmed  with  the  fleece  of 
my  sheep  ;  if  I  have  lifted  up  my  hand  against  the 
fatherless,  when  I  saw  my  help  in  the  gate  :  then 
let  mine  arm  fall  from  my  shoulder-blade,  and  mine 
arm  be  broken  from  the  bone."  Oh  !  may  it  be  ours 
to  share  in  the  dignity  of  thousands  of  the  poor, 
when  they  shall  have  exchanged  their  feeble,  sickly 
frames  for  bodies  refined,  spiritual,  and  glorious  ; 
their  tattered  garments  for  white  robes  ;  their  mis- 
erable hovels  for  mansions  in  the  skies  ;  their  deg- 
radation for  immortal  honor  ;  their  tears  for  smiles  ; 
their  groans  for  hymns  of  praise.  Then,  may  it  be 
ours,  to  circle  with  them  the  same  throne,  to  unite 
with  them  in  worship,  to  sympathize  in  their  grati- 
tude, and  to  bear  a  part  in  their  immortal  songs. 


CHRISTIANITY 


AND 


L  IB  E  R  A  L-GI  YI  N  G 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  LIBERALGIVING, 

In  the  present  age,  amongst  the  American  Church- 
es, there  is  no  deficiency  more  obvious  than  that 
which  relates  to  systematic  and  reliable  contribution 
for  the  purposes  of  Christian  benevolence.  It  may 
be  safely  said  that  there  has  been  no  period  of  our 
religious  history  when  fields  so  wide  and  "  white  to 
the  harvest,"  were  thrown  open  to  us  ;  no  period 
when  to  us,  as  a  people,  the  voices  of  benighted  mil- 
lions cried  so  imploringly  for  the  gospel  of  salvation. 
Burmah,  Siam,  Hindostan,  and  China  call  to  us  ; 
tribes  of  the  Asiatic  mountains,  living  in  compar- 
ative seclusion,  the  forlorn  and  melancholy  children 
of  our  own  continent,  and  the  struggling  churclies  of 
continental  Europe,  "  persecuted  but  not  forsaken, 
cast  down  but  not  destroyed,"  appeal  to  us  for  help. 
Multitudes  of  those  who  in  other  times  have  gone  to 
their  graves  professing  and  believing  the  principles 
in  which  we  glory,  who  suffered  bitter  oppression 
throughout  their  course  of  life  for  conscience  sake, 
who  were  driven  by  the  blasts  of  persecution  over 
stormy  seas,  faithful  men  and  women  in  Avhose 
breasts  the  true  martyr-spirit  glowed  as  a  quenchless 
fire,  longed  to  see  this  day,  in  which  the  churches  of 
a  "  common  faith,"  living  in  a  land  of  freedom,  not 


336        Christianity  and  Liberal-giying. 

only  enjoy  their  own  riglits  and  privileges  without 
stint  or  fear,  but  behold  on  every  side  "  an  open 
door/"  a  widening  field,  with  liberty  to  labor  as  far 
as  "  in  them  lieth  "  for  the  cause  of  Christ,  Truth, 
and  Humanity.  Truly,  "  many  righteous  men  have 
desired  to  see  those  things  which  we  see,  and  have 
not  seen  them  ;"  but,  although  the  blessings  that 
were  denied  to  them  have  been  lavished  on  us,  how 
little  do  we  achieve  in  view  of  what  "  the  signs  of 
the  times,"  and  the  wants  of  tlie  world  demand  ! 
How  few  are  the  laborers !  The  thinkers,  tlie  plan- 
ners, the  minds  of  projective  forecast,  equal  to  the 
emergency,  the  reliable  and  constant  contributors 
according  to  their  ability — how  few  in  comparison 
with  the  numbers  that  our  statistical  reports  exhibit ! 
How  astounding,  how  humbling  is  the  truth,  that  if 
each  of  our  communicants  in  the  United  States  were 
accustomed  to  give  regularly  but  one  cent  a  week, 
the  aggregate  amount  would  be  thrice  as  great  as 
that  which  our  present  plan  of  operations  for  evan- 
gelizing the  world  would  consume  !  Surely,  amidst 
all  the  gratifying  proofs  of  progress  that  we  may 
show,  there  is  scope  for  great  improvement  in  regard 
to  the  grace  of  liberal-giving  ;  so  that  the  Apostle 
of  the  Gentiles  might  say  to  us  as  fitly  as  he  did  to 
the  ancient  Corinthians,  "  Therefore  as  ye  abound  in 
every  thing,  in  faith,  and  utterance,  and  knowledge, 
and  all  diligence  see  that  ye  abound  in  this  grace 
also." 

With  the  desire  of  doing  something  to  awaken 
more  general  and  earnest  thought  in  this  line  of  di- 
rection, we  solicit  your  attention,  Friends  and  Read- 


Cheistianity  and  Liberal-giving.        337 

ers,  to  some  suggestions  called  forth  by  the  two-fold 
aspect  which  this  subject  presents.  They  relate  di- 
rectly— 

I.  To  several  defects  pertaining  to  the  common 
modes  of  benevolent  contribution  : — 

II.  To  the  grounds  of  our  belief  that  there  may 
be  found  "  a  more  excellent  way." 

First  of  all  then,  we  observe  that  one  deficiency 
in  the  benevolence  of  our  times  is  this  :  it  moves  too 
much  by  ftful  impulses  rather  than  by  the  forecast 
of  intelligence  and  the  guidance  of  Christian  prin- 
ciple. There  is  too  much  of  the  power  of  set  occa- 
sion, of  art,  and  of  eloquent  appeal  requisite  to  incite 
us  to  do  what  is  easily  practicable,  and  what  the 
hand  of  God's  providence  beckons  us  to  attempt. 
This  kind  of  power  is  but  little  needed  where  intel- 
ligence and  sound  principle  exert  their  proper  sway. 
Who  ever  thinks  of  using  the  arts  of  argument  and 
persuasion  to  induce  an  affectionate  parent  to  clothe 
his  children,  or  to  provide  for  his  household  ?  But 
from  the  cause  of  Christ,  which  enfolds  all  the  inter- 
ests of  humanity  within  itself,  Christians  can  with- 
hold their  needed  gifts  without  pain,  without  a  self- 
reproving  thought.  And  when  they  give,  too  often 
is  the  donation  thrown  into  the  treasury  by  a  fitful 
impulse  of  generosity  like  that  with  which  the  un- 
thinking sailor,  when  flush  in  funds,  flings  what  he 
may  have  in  his  pocket  at  the  feet  of  the  first  ap- 
plicant, without  thoughtful  regard  to  the  merits  of 
the  case,  or  the  wants  of  others.  This  play  of  feel- 
ing in  the  human  bosom  is  amiable,  but  it  is,  never- 
theless, a  weakness  ;  it  is  ineflfective  of  real  good,  on 


338        Christianity  and  Liberal-giving. 

the  whole,  because  it  needs  to  be  directed  by  the 
forecast  of  heartfelt  benevolence.  These  wayward 
impulses  of  our  common  humanity  must  needs  be 
brought  under  the  discipline  of  that  vital  Chris- 
tianity, which,  dwelling  in  the  soul  as  a  directing 
power,  renders  it  wise  to  do  good,  causes  its  "  love 
to  abound  more  and  more  in  knowledge  and  in 
all  judgment,''  and  thus,  imparting  an  aptness  to 
"  gather  up  the  fragments  that  nothing  be  lost," 
makes  everything  both  small  and  great,  subordinate 
to  the  comprehensive  aims  of  our  Master's  service. 

2.  Another  deficiency  in  the  benevolence  of  our 
times  is  found  in  the  disproportion  of  what  is  given, 
on  the  whole,  to  the  ability  of  the  giver.  When  an 
object  of  benevolence  is  brought  into  view,  it  is  loo 
often  the  case  that  the  contributor  debates  within 
himself  as  a  main  question — "  how  much  do  people 
expect  from  me  ?"  What  sum  will  suffice  to  let  me 
off  respectably  ?  Or,  he  asks,  perhaps,  liow  much 
his  neighbor,  whose  judgment  he  respects,  will  con- 
tribute to  this  object.  Now,  this  may,  indeed,  be  all 
well  enough  when  the  particular  object  is  but  of 
small  importance,  when  it  is  strange  or  novel,  or 
when  its  relative  claims  remain  doubtful.  But  our 
remarks  have  no  special  bearing  on  that  class  of 
cases  ;  they  relate  to  those  grand  operations  of  be- 
nevolence which  are  well  understood,  which  are  ac- 
knowledged to  be  of  tried  and  enduring  wortli,  and 
which  open  ample  scope  to  the  spirit  of  enterprise. 
These  great  objects  which  embrace  as  their  one  aim 
the  evangelization  of  the  world,  embody  and  express 
in  palpable  form  the  cause  of  Christ  amongst  men  : 


Christianity  and  Liberal-giving.        339 

and  when  they  come  to  us,  it  is  Ho  that  speaks  ;  He 
calls  upon  us  as  his  stewards  for  the  payment  of 
what  we  owe  to  Him  ;  and  then  it  becomes  us  as  his 
servants  to  appeal  with  all  sincerity  to  Him  who 
knows  all  our  substance,  our  relations,  and  our  du- 
ties in  the  inquiry,  "  Lord  what  wilt  thou  have  me 
to  do  ?  "  In  these  cases,  we  may  be  assured,  He 
appeals  to  us  as  really  by  his  Providence  as  He  ap- 
pealed to  Philip  by  his  living  voice  when,  in  view 
of  the  famishing  multitudes  around  them,  He  asked, 
"  Whence  shall  we  buy  bread  that  these  may  eat  ?" 
"  This  he  said  to  prove  him  ;"  the  question  was  de- 
signed for  the  trial  of  the  disciple's  heart. 

3.  Another  deficiency  in  the  benevolence  of  the 
times  is  this  :  that  even  in  the  regular  efforts  of 
churches  that  may  be  supposed  to  contribute  Trom 
the  influence  of  sound  principle,  there  is  so  rarely 
seen  any  system  of  action  embracing  within  its  scope 
the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  young  and  the  old,  so  as 
to  develop  in  a  healthful  manner  the  affections  and 
energies  of  all.  In  the  promotion  of  any  great  en- 
terprise, whether  it  be  civil,  military,  or  commercial, 
requiring,  from  year  to  year  the  employment  of  men 
and  money,  a  well-concerted  system  of  action  is  essen- 
tial to  success.  It  is  equally  so  within  the  sphere  of 
religion.  Yet,  in  regard  to  this  truth  there  has  been 
a  great  want  of  clear  and  definite  conviction  ;  and 
many  well-meaning  persons  have  cherished  too  cor- 
dially the  sentiment  expressed  by  one  who  said, 
"  What  I  give,  I  give  by  myself,  and  not  in  connec- 
tion with  others  ;  I  give  when  I  please,  as  I  please, 
and  let  not  my  left  hand  "  know  what  my  right  hand 


340        Christianity  and  Liberal-giving. 

doeth."  Although  he  was 'a  good  man  who  said 
this,  and  although  he  quoted  scripture  to  support  his 
position,  he  was  unaware  how  far  from  the  mark  his 
quotation  fell.  For,  that  precept  on  secret  giving, 
from  the  sermon  on  the  Mount,  relates  only  to  alms 
bestowed  on  the  poor,  which,  from  regard  to  the 
feeling  proper  to  both  parties,  the  giver  and  the  re- 
ceiver, ought  to  be  private  ;  but  in  bestowing  these, 
the  Pharisees,  whom  Christ  was  censuring,  made  a 
conspicuous  and  vaunting  show.  Great  public  en- 
terprises, however,  requiring  a  combination  of  agen- 
cies by  the  union  of  many  minds,  hearts,  and  hands, 
must  be  promoted  by  concerted  efforts  and  in  a  sys- 
tematic manner,  or  they  can  never  be  effectually 
achieved.  Thus  we  see  that  the  constructive  mind 
of  Paul  placed  within  the  scope  of  one  plan  of  be- 
nevolent action  all  the  churches  of  Macedonia  and 
Achaia,  held  up  the  example  of  those  who  were  more 
forward  to  animate  those  who  were  tardy,  and  urged, 
them  all  forward  in  a  noble  career  of  benevolence 
which,  the  lights  of  history  furnish  reason  to  believe, 
commanded  the  respect  and  admiration  of  the  world. 
The  historical  pen  of  Gibbon,  though  employed 
against  Christianity,  has  made  the  benevolent  doings 
of  the  primitive  Christians  to  loom  up  in  a  form  of 
moral  grandeur,  when  it  places  their  ample  liberality 
among  the  leading  causes  of  the  world-wide  triumphs 
of  their  faith. 

II.  Having  thus  considered  several  defects  in  the 
prevailing  modes  of  benevolent  action,  it  may  be 
well  now  to  inquire  whether  the  Scriptures  furnish 
any  intimations  of  a  better  way. 


Christianity  and  Liberal-giving.        341 


In  Paul's  first  epistle  to  the  Corinthian  Church, 
we  find  the  following  direction  touching  pecuniary 
contribution  :— (1  Cor.  xvi.  2.)—''  Upon  the  first  day 
of  the  week  let  every  one  of  you  lay  by  liim  in  store 
as  God  hath  prospered  him,  that  there  may  be  no 
gatherings  when  I  come.".  The  Apostle  mentions 
that  he  had  given  the  same  order  to  the  churches  of 
Galatia,  a  province  distant  from  Corinth  in  the 
Eastern  part  of  Asia  Minor.  We  see,  therefore, 
that  the  method  spoken  of  was  not  of  merely  local 
origin,  or  of  very  limited  application.  At  that  time 
there  was  a  great  emergency  to  be  met  amongst  the 
churches  of  Judea,  on  account  of  the  prevailing  dis- 
tress. Paul  desired  Corinth  to  do  her  share  of  ser- 
vice systematically,  to  do  it  from  principle  and  in  a 
quiet  manner,  so  that  he  should  not  be  disturbed  in 
the  process  of  his  work  by  an  extraordinary  effort 
to  raise  a  large  amount  of  money  after  his  arrival. 
Now,  if  that  church  had  been  affected  by  the  impul- 
sive spirit  of  our  age,  and  by  our  modern  notions  of 
managing  such  matters,  involving  periodical  collec- 
tions during  the  visits  and  appeals  of  special  agents, 
they  might  not  have  been  disposed  to  welcome  this 
suggestion.  They  might  have  been  heard,  perhaps, 
deliberating  amongst  themselves  somewhat  to  this 
intent :  "  Is  it  expedient  now  to  promote  the  work 
of  contribution  ?  By  no  means.  After  Paul's  ar- 
rival, surely,  will  be  the  very  time  to  carry  forward 
our  collections  with  success  ;  for,  his  presence,  his 
eloquence,  and  his  apostolic  authority  will  have  a 
great  effect.  Then  we  shall  be  all  excited  ;  the 
people  will  be  glad  to  see  him,  and  then  it  will  be 


342        Christianity  and  Liberal-giving. 

easy  to  open  their  purses  and  accomplish  the  whole 
work  at  once.  Men  are  never  so  ready  to  give  freely 
as  when  they  are  gratified  ;  and,  when  Paul  comes 
to  preach  to-  us,  we  shall  all  be  highly  delighted, 
and  shall  be  just  in  the  mood  for  doing  generously." 
Such  a  conclusion  would,  doubtless,  have  made  a  fit 
preamble  to  a  "  resolution,''  asserting  the  wisdom 
and  expediency  of  deferring  the  collections  until  af- 
ter Paul's  arrival  in  Corinth.  But  is  it  probable 
think  you,  that  the  apostle  would  have  been  pleased 
with  such  compliments  on  his  eloquence  and  his 
power  of  moving  men?  Far  from  it.  He  would 
have  said  again  to  them,  "  I  spake  by  occasion  of  the 
forwardness  of  others,  and  to  prove  the  sincerity  of 
your  love  ;  for  it  was  expedient  for  you  who  have 
begun  before,  not  only  to  do,  but  to  have  been  for- 
ward  a  year  ago." 

This  direction  of  Paul  to  the  primitive  churches 
involves  several  important  principles. 

(1.)  It  implies  that  Christian  benevolence  should 
be  conducted  according  to  a  system,  and  not  bie  left 
to  the  drift  of  accident,  or  the  excitement  of  special 
occasions. 

(2.)  That  in  every  Christian  church,  such  a  sys- 
tem should  be  comprehensive  and  pervasive — "  Let 
every  one  of  you  lay  by  him  in  store."  Let  the  rich 
and  the  poor  meet  together  at  the  altar  of  Christ 
with  their  ofi'erings  of  grateful  love. 

(3.)  That  the  designation  should  be  made  at  stated 
times — frequently — as  often  as  once  a  week.  On 
the  first  day  of  the  week,  when  we  shall  have  paused 
in  our  career  of  worldly  occupation,  while  we  hail 


Christianity  and  Liberal-giving.        343 

with  joy  the  light  of  the  resurrection-day,  and  cel- 
ebrate the  mighty  work  of  man's  redemption,  then 
are  we  called  upon  to  lay  a  tax  upon  our  worldly 
income  or  expenditure,  in  order  that  we  may  present 
an  acceptable  offering  unto  the  Lord. 

(4.)  This  weekly  calculation  of  the  amount  of  our 
religious  contributions,  should  lead  us  to  give  to  an 
extent  commensurate  with  our  power  of  giving  ;  that 
is,  our  power  of  giving  estimated  by  a  liberal  heart, 
with  reference  to  all  the  claims  made  upon  our 
resources,  and  the  relative  worth  of  the  objects 
before  us.  The  Scriptural  rule  is,  "  Each  according 
to  his  ability,"  "  as  God  hath  prospered  him  f  "  ac- 
cording to  the  ability  that  God  giveth."  This  regu- 
lar mental  exercise,  and  this  practical  expression  of 
our  gratitude,  are  Heaven's  appointed  means  for  the 
education  of  our  minds  and  hearts,  and  thus,  of  our 
preparation  for  a  still  nobler  sphere  of  service  in  a 
future  state  of  being. 

Here  we  have  developed  to  our  view  the  apostolic 
plan  of  benevolent  effort,  simple,  equal,  reasonable, 
efficient ;  requiring  no  ingenious  appliances  to  sus- 
tain it  in  any  community,  but  only  that  degree  of 
love  to  Christ  and  his  cause  which  will  quicken  into 
life  our  grateful  remembrance  of*  him,  as  often  as 
once  a  week.  If  we  have  real  love  to  him,  whether 
our  resources,  as  individuals  or  as  churches,  be  large 
or  small,  increased  by  prosperity  or  stinted  by  adver- 
sity, that  system  would  be  found  adequate  and  self- 
sustaining.  0,  how  much  better  are  God's  ways 
than  man's  ;  the  hints  of  Scripture,  than  the  volumes 
of  man's  wisdom !    The  primitive  Christians  believed 


344        Christianity  and  Liberal-giving. 

this  ;  hence,  how  united  and  how  persevering,  how 
quiet  and  how  effective  they  became !  Their  plan 
of  agency  was  far-reaching,  yet  noiseless  as  the 
morning  dew,  which  moistens  the  arid  clod,  or  as 
the  solar  heat,  which  releases  the  earth  from  the 
hoar  frost,  causes  it  "  to  blossom  and  bud,  and  fills 
the  face  of  the  world  with  fruit." 

When  Paul  requested  of  the  Corinthians  that 
there  might  be  no  gatherings  in  aid  of  his  own 
special  mission  to  Judea,  after  his  arrival,  we  can 
easily  believe  that  his  feelings  would  have  been 
disturbed  by  a  great  show  of  money-getting.  He 
desired  that  there  might  be  nothing  of  this  con- 
nected with  his  visit.'  It  was  ever  his  chief  aim  to 
inculcate  principles  of  action,  and,  by  his  appeals, 
to  open  the  fountains  of  charity  in  every  Christian 
heart,  so  that  the  perennial  stream  might  flow  forth 
constantly  to  pour  its  golden  contribution  into  the 
treasury  of  the  Lord,  and  thence  over  the  parched 
wastes  of  desolated  humanity,  to  make  those  wastes 
to  bloom  afresh,  and  turn  the  wilderness  into  an 
Eden. 

Observe,  too,  how  the  Apostle  hallows  the  work 
of  contribution  as  being  in  harmony  with  the  design 
of  the  Lord's  day 3^ and  with  scenes  of  worship.  This 
is  worthy  of  notice  ;  for,  sometimes  the  complaint 
has  been  heard  that  the  jingling  of  money  in  the 
sanctuary,  interferes  with  the  spirit  of  devotion. 
Aye,  doubtless  it  does  so  wlien  weekly  collections 
are  thus  made  for  purposes  somewhat  secular,  for 
the  current  expenses  of  a  congregation,  for  the  sala- 
ries of  a  minister  or  a  sexton,  for  fuel,  for  oil,  or  for 


Christianity  and  Liberal-giving.        345 

gas,  or  for  repairs  of  the  house  ;  when  what  are 
called  "  penny  collections  "  are  gathered  from  pew 
to  pew  as  a  matter  of  custom  or  dull  routine,  with- 
out any  gran^  and  noble  object  of  action  being  pro- 
posed to  interest  the  mind,  to  arouse  the  conscience, 
or  move  the  heart's  best  affections.  This  sort  of 
Sunday-collection  has  done  much  to  bring  the  whole 
subject  of  contribution  into  dishonor.  Calling  upon 
us  to  give,  without  thought  or  care,  what  we  may 
happen  to  have  with  us,  for  we  know  not  what,  or 
for  objects  of  little  moment,  or  for  secular  matters, 
that  might  be  provided  for  in  another  way,  the  prac- 
tice reacts,  unhappily,  on  the  moral  feelings,  and 
petrifies  the  spring  of  generous  sentiment.  But 
where  each  returning  Lord's  day  makes  its  appeal 
in  the  name  of  Him  who  consecrated  it  as  a  day  of 
sacred  celebration  by  a  mighty  triumph  of  redeem- 
ing love,  calling  upon  us  for  a  thank  offering  unto 
him,  to  be  laid  on  his  altar,  for  liis  use,  to  promote 
the  extension  of  his  kingdom  on  the  earth  ;  in  this, 
surely,  there  is  something  that  stirs  the  finest  sensi- 
bilities of  the  soul,  educates  our  Jiabits  of  thought 
into  harmony  with  the  true  aim  of  life,  renders  our 
spontaneous  gifts  acts  of  worship,  elicits  no  feeling 
that  chills  the  spirit  of  devotion,  no  sound  that  jars 
against  its  chimes. 

This  apostolic  plan  of  benevolence  is  worthy  of 
Christianity.  It  accomplishes  much,  and  is  distin- 
guished by  its  simplicity.  Is  it  not  for  the  want  of 
just  this  simplicity  that  the  liberality  of  many 
churches  falls  so  far  short  of  its  proper  standard  ? 
Do  we  not  depend  too  much  on  occasional  public 


346        Christianity  and  Liberal-giving. 

efforts,  on  the  tact  and  skill  of  official  agents,  on  the 
excitement  of  special  objects,  to  accomplish  six  or 
seven  times  a  year,  what  ought  to  be  the  work  of 
every  week  ?  If  the  true  idea  of  a  church,  as  to  its 
practical  character,  be  that  of  a  congregation  of 
faithful  persons,  united  under  the  law  of  Christ  to 
do  his  will,  then,  ought  not  every  man,  every  woman, 
every  child  amongst  us  to  be  a  pledged  contributor, 
of  course,  whether  the  name  of  the  individual  be 
subscribed  to  a  preamble  touching  this  or  that  par- 
ticular object,  or  not  ?  If  the  well-known,  cardinal 
enterprises  of  benevolence  represent  Christ's  cause 
on  earth,  then,  should  we  not  take  them  all  within 
the  scope  of  our  regard,  from  the  distant  missionary 
who  preaches  Christ  in  the  jungles  and  cities  of 
Asia,  or  on  the  torrid  sands  of  Africa,  to  the  modest 
tract  distributor,  who  threads  the  secluded  alleys  or 
the  winding,  creaking  stair-cases  of  poverty  and 
want,  in  hut  or  hovel,  to  shed  a  ray  of  moral  sun- 
shine athwart  the  gloom  of  our  own  neighborhood  ? 
And,  if  so,  should  it  not  be  the  study  of  all  of  us  to 
ascertain  how  far  we  can  promote  them  ? 

Bear  with  us,  then,  while  we  add  one  or  two  prac- 
tical remarks,  in  relation  to  the  whole  subject. 

1.  Since  liberal  giving  for  the  spread  of  the  Gos- 
pel is  the  proper,  the  serious,  the  life-long  business 
of  the  whole  church,  let  us  all  resolve  to  share  the 
labors  of  sustaining  an  efficient  system  of  benevo- 
lence. A  proper  system  is  one  which  permits  and 
invites  all  to  do  something,  in  proportion  to  their 
means  of  doing.  It  is  not  one  which  comes  now 
and   then  with  fervid   appeals  to  the  wealthy — by 


Christianity  and  Liberal-giving.        347 

implication  undervaluing  small  gifts — aiming,  by 
spasmodic  efforts,  to  push  forward  a  subscription  to 
the  highest  possible  amount.  Such  an  effort  may  be 
needful,  once  in  a  while,  for  an  enterprise  ^hich 
makes  its  appeal  but  once  in  a  life-time,  which,  when 
once  done  is  done  forever,  like  the  building  of  a 
Bible  house  or  a  university,  which  stands  outside  of 
the  established  circle  of  objects  that  represent  the 
cause  of  human  evangelization,  and  which,  perhaps, 
is  to  be  commended  to  the  special  care  of  those  who 
can  contribute  by  thousands  or  hundreds,  or  fifties. 
But  a  church-system  of  benevolence  should  be  ad- 
justed so  as  permanently  to  reach,  move,  and  in- 
terest all  alike  ;  the  old  and  the  young,  the  strong 
and  the  weak.  The  youngest  and  the  weakest  may 
do  something.  Is  any  one  of  this  class  disposed  to 
ask,  "  What  can  I  do  ?"  You  may  lay  by  every 
week  some  amount ;  however  small,  you  may  bring 
it  as  a  Sabbath-offering,  a  tribute  of  love  to  the 
Lord's  treasury  ;  by  word  or  example  you  may 
awaken  in  the  minds  of  others,  brothers,  sisters  or 
friends,  an  interest  in  the  same  good  work,  and  thus 
you  may  form  a  habit  of  action  in  youth,  which  will 
be  a  germ  of  luxuriant  fruitage  in  years  to  come. 
All  may  do  something  ;  and  the  Head  of  the  Church 
expects  all  to  do  what  they  can  in  this  service.  This 
business  of  a  Christian  church  is  the  most  noble  that 
mortals  can  undertake.  In  the  eyes  of  angels,  the 
largest  mercantile  transactions  at  the  Royal  Ex- 
change, the  Parisian  Bourse,  or  the  counting-rooms 
of  New  York,  are  of  no  great  importance,  compared 
with  this.     Art,  science,  trade,  all  forms  of  industry 


348        Christianity  and  Liberal-giving. 

are  invested  with  moral  dignity,  just  so  far  as  they 
are  made  subservient  to  the  glorious  aims  of  our 
Lord's  commission,  which  bids  us  to  gain  the  empire 
of  the  world  for  him. 

2.  The  true  secret  of  successful  adaptation  in  a 
church-system  of  benevolence  lies  in  providing  for 
the  reception  of  regular  contributions,  on  the  part 
of  all,  spontaneously  and  frequently.  For  the  great' 
mass  of  contributors,  in  every  community,  can  give 
small  sums  frequently,  better  than  large  sums  occa- 
sionally. Many  a  warm-hearted  man  or  woman, 
artisan  or  laborer,  in  one  or  another  department  of 
busy  life,  will  have  at  the  end  of  the  week  a  surplus 
of  half  a  dollar,  which  can  be  well  spared  for  the 
purposes  of  benevolence  ;  but  if  there  be  no  call  for 
its  contribution,  this  person  will  not  be  apt  to  have 
double  that  amount  of  surplus  at  the  end  of  the 
second  week  ;  still  less  likely  to  have  treble  that 
amount  of  surplus  at  the  end  of  the  third  week — and 
so  on  indefinitely.  Then,  when  the  periodical  appeal 
is  made  for  large  subscriptions,  the  most  of  this 
whole  aggregate  is  lost.  And  thus,  too,  multitudes, 
gifted  with  elements  of  power,  grow  up,  live  and  die 
within  the  precincts  of  the  church,  without  the  least 
feeling  of  responsibility  touching  the  blessed  work 
that  Christ  has  committed  to  his  people,  and  without 
any  fit  means  of  developing  their  sentiments  and 
emotions,  into  habits  of  manly  and  efi'ective  action. 
In  this  respect  "  the  children  of  this  world  are  wiser 
in  their  generation  than  the  children  of  light,"  for 
the  Komish  church,  (so-called,)  which  is  composed 
of  nations,  and  rules  empires,  is  really  pushing  for- 


Christianity  and  Liberal-giving.        349 

ward  her  ambitious  projects  in  our  land  by  means 
of  revenues  drawn  from  the  regular  contributions 
of  laboring  families. 

And,  last  of  all,  though  this  consideration  be  not 
the  least  of  all,  this  lively,  pervasive  and  increasing 
interest  of  the  whole  church  in  a  common  work,  is 
quite  essential  to  its  spiritual  welfare  ;  to  its  com- 
pactness, strength,  and  efficiency.  Very  widely 
throughout  the  churches  of  our  land,  it  is  a  common 
sentiment  that  the  chief  business  0/  a  church,  in 
what  are  called  meetings  for  business,  consists  in 
receiving,  discipling,  dismissing,  or  excluding  mem- 
bers. If  nothing  of  this  kind  is  to  be  done,  the 
church  has  no  business  to  engross  its  thoughts. 
And  thus  the  mighty  work  of  spreading  the  tri- 
umphs of  the  truth  throughout  a  hostile  world,  is 
well-nigh  overlooked  ;  it  does  not  actually  attract 
the  members  of  the  church  together  in  earnest  delib- 
eration ;  it  does  not  task  their  highest  talents  ;  it 
awakens  no  forethought ;  it  kindles  no  sympathy, 
and  therefore  fails  to  unite  them  by  those  bonds  of 
love  which  are  always  created  by  the  spirit  of  lofty 
and  holy  enterprise.  "  For  this  cause  many  are 
sickly  among  them,  and  many  sleep."  This  is  not 
"after  the  manner  of  God."  The  first  Christian 
church  which  this  world  ever  saw,  composed  of 
Gentile  converts,  was  at  Antioch,  in  Syria.  The 
first  fact  recorded  in  its  history,  after  its  peaceful 
establishment,  is  that  of  its  coming  together  for  the 
purpose  of  sending  forth  missionaries  to  the  sur- 
rounding heathen  countries.  The  second  fact,  is 
that  of  its  coming  together  to  receive  a  report  of 


360        Christianity  and  Liberal-giving. 

what  those  missionaries  had  been  doing.  Truly, 
that  was  a  body  "  fitly  joined  together."  The  mem- 
bers of  that  church  were  united  by  one  noble  aim  ; 
they  loved  each  other  for  their  works'  sake,  and  the 
voice  of  joy  was  in  their  tabernacle. 

Christian  Friends,  may  we  not  imitate  them  ?  Do 
we  not  profess  the  same  religion  ?  Have  we  not  the 
same  master  ?  Does  not  the  same  work  still  lie 
before  us  ?  If  we  tread  in  their  footsteps,  and  carry 
forward  what  they  begun  with  a  kindred  spirit,  may 
we  not  expect  the  blessing  of  Heaven  in  larger  mea- 
sure than  we  have  ever  yet  received  it  so  that  the 
world  itself  shall  be  constrained  to  renew  the  song 
of  the  ancient  prophet,  even  though,  like  him,  it  may 
be  loath  to  utter  it — "  Surely  there  is  no  enchant- 
ment against  Jacob,  there  is  no  divination  against 
Israel ;  according  to  this  time  it  shall  be  said  of 
Jacob  and  of  Israel,  What  hath  God  wrought  1" 


CHRISTIAN 


UNION. 


CHRISTIAN    UNION. 


PHILLIPIANS,   III.    16. 


Nevertheless,  whereto  we  have  already  attained,  let  us  walk  by  the  same  rule, 
let  us  mind  the  same  thing. 


A  REMARKABLE  feature  of  the  mind  of  Paul  was 
its  enlargedness — a  habit  of  taking  wide,  noble  and 
benevolent  views  of  men  and  things  in  the  light  of 
religion.  There  was  in  him  a  wonderful  combina- 
tion of  unyielding  strictness  in  regard  to  the  essen- 
tial elements  of  Christianity,  and  of  comprehensive 
liberality  in  regard  to  all  that  was  not  of  vital 
importance.  This  was  the  more  wonderful,  con- 
sidering his  early  character.  In  the  Jewish  school, 
he  had  "been  educated  to  narrowness.  He  was  a 
Pharisee  of  the  straitest  sect ;  in  his  code  of  morals, 
charity  was  no  virtue,  and  he  was  even  ready  to 
hurl  his  anathemas  against  those  who  slighted  the 
ceremonies  which  had  no  better  basis  than  tradition. 
It  is  so  natural  for  men  in  their  changes  of  opinion, 
to  rush  from  one  extreme  to  its  opposite,  that  it 
might  at  first  have  been  justly  supposed,  that  as 
Paul  had  been  a  bigoted  Jew,  he  would  have  made 


354  Christian  Union. 


a  bigoted  Christian.  And  so  indeed  he  would,  had 
the  change  been  chiefly  such  as  many  think  ;  a  mere 
change  of  creed,  a  belief  in  a  new  theological  sys- 
tem. But  in  his  case,  it  was  a  new  spiritual  crea- 
tion, which  occurs  in  the  case  of  every  man  who  is 
"  in  Christ."  The  power  which  enlightened  his 
mind,  enlarged  his  heart ;  the  Christianity  which 
he  received  was  a  religion  of  love  ;  its  faith  wrought 
by  love,  and  the  end  of  its  commandment,  was  charity 
out  of  a  pure  heart  and  faith  unfeigned. 

An  illustration  of  this  trait  of  his  character  is 
found  in  the  precept  of  the  text.  At  the  time  in 
which  he  wrote,  Christianity  had  been  widely  spread, 
and  embraced  within  its  pale  men  of  diverse  habits 
and  opposing  opinions.  The  Jew  was  still  inclined 
to  Judaize,  to  bring  into  the  church  a  ritual  as  punc- 
tilious as  that  which  marked  the  old  economy  ;  and 
the  Gentile  was  disposed  to  treat  the  notions  of  the 
Jews  with  as  little  respect  as  ever,  when  they  were 
pressed  on  his  conscience  as  a  matter  of  obligation. 
Thence  there  was  constant  danger  at  the  outset,  of 
Christians  forming  new  parties,  and  cherishing  to- 
ward each  other  sectarian  antipathies.  It  is  delight- 
ful to  see  how  fitted  was  the  apostle  for  such  an 
emergency.  He,  truly,  magnified  his  office.  Instead 
of  entering  into  the  details  of  disputation,  he  pro- 
claimed those  principles  of  Christian  liberty,  which 
were  suited  to  compose  existing  strife  and  to  guide 
all  future  ages.  Though  he  possessed  the  authority 
of  an  inspired  apostle,  he  did  not  interfere  in  the 
dispute  by  saying  who  had  the  most  of  right  and 
truth  on  his  side,  the  Jew  or  the  Gentile  :  but  he 


Christian  Union.  355 


seemed  far  more  anxious  that  they  should  walk  in 
love  on  common  ground  and  cooperate  as  far  as  they 
were  agreed,  than  that  they  should  be  all  of  one 
opinion.  He  desired  more  to  see  Christians  differ- 
ing in  belief,  loving  each  other  notwithstanding  that 
difference,  than  to  see  them  all  of  the  same  opinion. 
We  have  in  the  text  a  specimen  of  his  manner  of 
exhorting  on  this  subject  when  he  says,  "as  far  as 
we  have  attained,  let  us  walk  by  the  same  rule,  let 
us  mind  the  same  thing." 

Let  us  proceed  : 
,   I.  To  consider  more  fully  the  import  of  this  rule. 

II.  Its  general  excellence. 

III.  Some  of  its  applications. 

1.  All  true  Christians,  however  they  may  differ  in 
education  or  sentiment,  have  attained  to  the  know- 
ledge of  some  principles  of  everlasting  worth  which 
are  common  to  them.  All  who  have  been  convinced 
by  the  law  as  transgressors,  who  have  heartily  turned 
to  Christ  the  atoning  Saviour,  and  led  by  the  Spirit 
of  God,  have  given  themselves  up  to  his  service,  are 
members  of  the  same  great  spiritual  family,  and  are 
united  by  bonds  which  can  never  be  broken.  These 
hold  to  each  other  a  sacred  and  eternal  relationship. 
Thence  instead  of  magnifying  their  differences,  they 
should  strengthen  their  points  of  agreement,  coope- 
rate, on  ground  that  is  common,  for  the  good  of  the 
world,  and  respecting  cordially  the  liberty  of  each 
other's  conscience,  should,  as  far  as  possible,  be 
helpers  of  each  other's,  joy.  Whereunto  they  have 
attained,  they  should  walk  by  the  same  rule  and 
mind  the  same  thing  ;  that  is,  should  bring  their 


356  Christian  Union. 

common  principles  into  active  exercise  and  seek 
together  the  glory  of  Christ  as  a  common  object.   ^ 

Now  see  how  the  cases  of  collision  which  occurred 
under  the  apostle's  ministration,  illustrate  this  rule. 
One  subject  of  dispute  in  that  day,  was  the  propriety 
of  eating  meats  sold  in  the  shambles  of  idolaters. 
"  One  believeth  he  may  eat  all  things,  another  who 
is  weak,  eateth  herbs."  Rom.  xiv.  2.  What  is  the 
direction  1  V.  3.  "  Let  not  him  that  eateth,  despise 
him  that  eateth  not ;  and  let  not  him  that  eateth  not, 
judge  him  that  eateth  :  for  God  had  received  him." 
Y.  15.  "  But  if  thy  brother  be  grieyed  with  thy 
meat,  now  walkest  thou  not  charitably.  Destroy 
not  him  with  thy  meat,  for  whom  Christ  died." 
"  For  the  kingdom  of  God  is  not  meat  and  drink  ; 
but  righteousness,  and  peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy 
Ghost."  "  Let  us,  therefore,  follow  after  the  things 
which  make  for  peace,  and  things  wherewith  one 
may  edify  another."  Each  Christian  is  exhorted  to 
waive  every  privilege  grievous  to  his  brother,  which 
is  not  a  matter  of  conscience,  and  touching  what  is 
a  matter  of  conscience,  each  is  exhorted  to  respect 
the  other's  liberty,  and  to  strive  "  whereto  they  have 
already  attained  to  walk  by  the  same  rule,  to  mind 
the  same  thing." 

Another  subject  of  division,  was  the  observance 
of  holy  days  ;  which  were  marked  with  honor  in  the 
Jewish  calendar.  Rom.  xiv.  5.  "  One  man  esteem- 
eth  one  day  above  another  ;  another  esteemeth  every 
day  alike.  Let  every  man  be  fully  persuaded  in  his 
own  mind."  "  He  that  regardeth  the  day,  regardeth 
it  unto  the  Lord  ;  and  he  that  regardeth  not  the  day, 


Christian  Union.  357 


to  the  Lord  he  doth  not  regard  it."  That  is,  one 
man's  disregard  of  the  day  is  as  much  a  matter  of 
conscience  touching  his  duty  to  God,  as  is  the  other's 
observance  of  it.  "  But  why  dost  thou  judge  thy 
brother  ?  Or  why  dost  thou  set  at  nought  thy 
brother  ?  For  we  shall  all  stand  before  the  judg- 
ment seat  of  Christ."  "  Let  no  man,  therefore,  judge 
you,  in  meat  or  in  drink,  or  in  respect  of  an  holy 
day,  or  of  the  new  moon,  or  of  tlie  Sabbath-days, 
which  are  a  shadow  of  things  to  come,  but  the  body 
is  Christ."  "  And  let  the  peace  of  God  rule  in  your 
hearts,  to  which  also  ye  are  called  in  one  body  ;  and 
be  ye  thankful." 

Now  it  must  be  remembered,  that  in  the  mind  of 
the  Jew,  the  observance  of  these  holy  days,  was  a 
matter  of  great  importance,  consecrated  as  it  wa^by 
ancient  custom  and  the  most  sacred  associations. 
Yet  in  regard  to  it  the  apostle  seems  far  more 
anxious  that  each  should  cheerfully  allow  the  other 
his  liberty  of  conscience,  that  each  should  respect 
and  love  the  other,  notwithstanding  a  difference  of 
practice,  than  he  is  to  settle  the  merits  of  the  con- 
troversy. 

One  of  the  most  agitating  subjects  of  discussion 
amongst  the  early  Christians,  was  the  right  to  eat 
meat  in  an  idol's  temple.  The  Jewish  Christian 
thought  it  a  species  of  profanity.  The  Gentile  saw 
no  more  harm  in  eating  meat  there  than  any  where 
else.  In  such  a  case,  Paul  wished  the  Jew  to  allow 
his  Gentile  brother  to  do  as  he  pleased,  as  long  as 
he  did  nothing  in  honour  of  the  idol,  and  urged  the 
Gentile  to  accommodate  himself  to  the  prejudices  of 


358         '  Christian  Union. 

his  Jewish  brother,  inasmuch  as  he  could  do  it  with- 
out violating  his  conscience  or  without  sacrificing 
any  real  good.  Yea,  he  solemnly  charged  the  Gen- 
tile to  forego  what  might  be  called  his  privilege  in 
those  circumstances,  wherein  his  example  might  have 
an  "appearance  of  evil"  which  would  lead  others 
astray.  In  this  connection  he  proclaims  that  grand, 
comprehensive  rule  of  Christian  morality,  "  whether 
ye  eat  or  drink  or  whatsoever  ye  do,  do  all  to  the 
glory  of  God  ; — Giving  none  offence,  neither  to  the 
Jews  nor  to  the  Gentiles,  nor  to  the  church  of  God. 
Even  as  I  please  all  men  in  all  things  not  seeking 
mine  own  profit  but  the  profit  of  many,  that  they 
may  be  saved." 

What  a  pure,  enlarged,  heavenly  charity  is  this  ! 
How  comprehensive,  how  practical,  how  salutary  ! 
How  magnanimous  is  the  spirit  of  Christianity  !  It 
rejoices  more  in  the  sight  of  love  and  cooperation 
abounding  among  Christians  differing  in  opinion, 
than  it  does  in  the  termination  of  those  very  differ- 
ences. It  declares  that  true  religion  does  not  con- 
sist in  uniformity  of  opinion  or  observance,  but  in 
an  inward  spirit,  in  faith,  love  and  long  suffering — 
in  righteousness,  peace,  joy  and  true  holiness.  These 
conform  the  soul  to  Christ.  These  are  the  springs 
of  outward  virtue.  These  enlarge  the  heart,  bind 
together  men  of  every  variety  of  temperament  and 
every  grade  of  life,  and  leading  each  to  overlook 
every  thing  that  is  not  vital,  causes  him  to  hail  joy- 
fully the  image  of  Christ  wherever  it  appears,  and 
to  say  to  all  the  members  of  a  common  spiritual 
brotherhood,  "  whereto  we  have  alreadv   attained. 


Christian  Union.  359 

let  us  walk  by  the  same  rule,  let  us  mind  the  same 
thing." 

Such  being  the  general  import  of  this  rule,  it  may- 
be well  to  direct  our  attention  more  particularly  to 
its  benefits.     Consider  then, 

II.  Its  excellence. 

First.  It  tends  to  increase  the  mutual  love  of  Chris- 
tians. It  is  an  obvious  truth,  that  notliing  is  more 
adapted  to  foster  a  warm  and  reciprocal  attacliment 
amongst  any  class  of  men,  than  a  quick  sensibility 
to  those  interests  and  objects  of  pursuit,  which  are 
common  to  them.  How  often  has  it  been  seen,  that 
when  the  natural  and  worldly  sympathies  of  men 
have  become  all  dormant,  some  emergency  has 
brought  them  out  with  a  power,  which  made  them 
appear  like  the  development  of  a  new  nature.  Some- 
times, for  instance,  when  political  excitement  has 
been  high,  amidst  the  clash  of  party  collision,  it  has 
seemed  as  if  every  trace  of  patriotism,  were  swept 
from  the  land.  Men  engaged  in  thinking  only  of 
the  points  of  difference  between  them,  have  become 
alienated  from  each  other,  and  have  forgotten  that 
there  were  any  ties  of  brotherhood.  But  when  in 
the  course  of  events,  these  men  have  been  called  to 
act  together,  for  the  defence  of  their  country,  at 
once,  all  minor  objects  are  overlooked,  all  petty 
alienations  subside,  and  the  interests  of  a  mean  and 
narrow  selfishness  are  swept  away  before  the  deep, 
broad,  powerful  tide  of  patriotic  feeling. 

Now  while  we  see  such  to  be  the  natural  effect  of 
a  concert  of  action  in  political  life,  there  are  not 
wanting  proofs  of  something  analogous  in  the  reli- 


360  Christian  Union. 

gious  life.  When  the  storms  of  persecution  have 
swept  over  a  land,  how  dear  to  the  hearts  of  all 
Christians,  have  the  bonds  of  a  common  Christianity 
become  !  How  precious  that  name  whereby  each  is 
called  !  How  fervent  that  love  which  unites  all  to 
Christ  and  thence  binds  each  to  the  other !  And 
whence  arises  tliis  new  development  ?  Whence  but 
from  the  fact  that  the  contemplation  of  their  points 
of  agreement  and  the  acting  together  on  common 
principles  will  make  those  principles  to  appear  in 
their  real  worth  and  will  cause  their  power  to  be 
felt?  This  striking  effect  has  been  seen  on  all  ex- 
traordinary occasions,  when  Christians  have  been 
led  as  far  as  they  had  attained  to  walk  by  the  same 
rule,  to  mind  the  same  thing.  And  this,  which  has 
occurred  at  some  times,  would  be  seen  at  all  times, 
if  this  blessed  rule,  were  but  heartily  and  habitually 
adopted.  A  single  gleam  of  such  a  spirit,  whether 
it  appear  in  public  or  private  life,  shines  by  its  own 
light,  imparts  a  peculiar  beauty  to  the  character, 
and  throws  an  abiding  charm  around  the  intercourse 
of  Christians.  As  a  pleasing  illustration  of  this,  it 
may  be  proper  to  mention  here,  what  was  once 
stated  at  a  public  meeting  in  England,  that  "  a  lady 
who  solicited  subscriptions  for  a  Missionary  Society 
in  the  town  where  she  resided,  called  upon  a  pious 
tradesman  who  was  not  a  churchman.  On  entering, 
she  said,  '  I  wait  on  you.  Sir,  from  the  Church  Mis- 
sionary Society,  because  I  have  undertaken  to  call 
at  every  house  in  my  division,  but,  as  I  believe  you 
are  not  a  Churchman,  I  cannot  presume  to  calculate 
upon  your  subscription  :  and,  though  we  are  happy 


Christian  Union.  361 

to  receive  support  from  any  one,  I  ought  not  perhaps 
to  expect  it  from  you  ;  and,  therefore,  having  ful- 
filled my  engagement  by  calling,  I  will  now  cheer- 
fully take  my  leave.'  '  Stop,  madam,'  said  he,  '  I 
cannot  suffer  you  to  go  away  thus.  It  is  true,'  he 
added,  '  we  have  a  Missionary  society  of  our  own  ; 
but  when  I  consider  how  long  I  have  lived  in  this 
place,  and  how  little  comparatively  has  been  done 
here  in  a  religious  point  of  view,  until  the  formation 
of  your  Missionary  society,  I  am  truly  thankful  to 
God  for  his  goodness,  and  you  shall  take  the  names 
of  my  wife  and  daughter,  as  humble,  but  cheerful  con- 
tributors.' While  he  yet  spake,  '  the  springs  which 
were  in  his  head,,'  (as  John  Bunyan  says,)  '  did  send 
the  waters  down  his  cheeks.' 

"  The  lady,  after  receiving  the  subscription  of  the 
Wesleyan,  said,  '  Now,  sir,  as  you  have  been  so  kind 
and  liberal  towards  our  society,  you  must  allow  me 
to  give  you  a  testimony  of  my  good  will  towards 
yours."  Accordingly,  she  insisted  upon  his  accept- 
ing from  her  own  purse,  a  donation  for  the  Wesleyan 
Missionary  society.  Truly  when  a  charity  so  candid 
and  reciprocal  as  this  shall  pervade  the  church,  divi- 
sions will  be  comparatively  nominal  and  harmless  ; 
"  for  as  the  body  without  the  spirit  is  dead,"  so  sec- 
tarianism bereft  of  its  selfish  spirit  is  dead  also. 

Secondly.  Thence  we  see  that  the  maxim  of  the 
text,  if  acted  on  by  all  Christians,  would  increase 
their  power  of  doing  good.  For  all  power  is  increased 
by  a  habit  of  action,  and  in  all  departments  of  soci- 
ety the  social  law  is  as  fixed  as  any  law  of  nature, 
that  combined  action  concentrates   and  multiplies 


362  Christian  Union. 


energy.  If  we  connect  with  this  the  interesting 
thought  that  among  true  Christians  their  points  of 
agreement  are  of  more  importance  than  their  points 
of  difference,  we  cannot  but  rejoice  to  think  of  the 
amount  of  power  which  the  friends  of  Christ  might 
bring  to  bear  in  behalf  of  a  perishing  world.  Nor 
can  we  fail  to  deplore  the  amount  of  power  which  is 
wasted,  while  Christians  wiait  for  a  unanimity  of 
opinion  on  all  disputed  points,  ere  they  heartily 
cooperate  in  behalf  of  principles  which  are  clear, 
fixed  and  of  supreme  importance.  Oh!  that  the 
children  of  light  were  as  wise  in  their  generation  as 
the  children  of  this  world!  Oh!  that  the  sacra- 
mental host  of  God  would  rally  round  the  ground 
which  is  common,  maintain  it,  beautify  it,  and  cheer 
each  other  on  to  wider  conquests  !  Then  would  Zion 
put  on  her  strength  and  appear  in  her  glory.  Then 
would  she  gain  the  world  and  a  spirit  would  be 
kindled  which  would  consume .  all  causes  of  dissen- 
sion and  melt  and  blend  all  hearts  in  a  holy,  happy 
union. 

Thirdly.  This  leads  me  to  observe  that  the  rule 
suggested  in  the  text  is  the  very  best  means  to 
induce  among  all  Christians  a  general  unity  of  opinion 
and  practice.  There  is  certainly  at  the  present  day 
a  more  deep  and  fervent  desire  among  Christians  at 
large,  for  an  intimate  and  visible  union,  than  has 
existed  heretofore.  This  is  a  happy  sign.  It  appears 
in  every  quarter.  It  is  seen  in  the  books  which 
issue  from  the  press,  it  is  breathed  from  the  lips  of 
prayer  in  the  public  sanctuary  and  at  the  family 
altar.     But  this  event,  so  devoutly  to  be  wished,  is 


Christian  Union.  363 

not  to  be  brought  about  merely  by  cogent  reason- 
ings, by  well-set  arguments,  by  earnest  discussion, 
though  in  love,  nor  merely  by  prayer  itself.  All 
these  must  be  connected  with  an  active  and  hearty 
cooperation  of  Christians,  on  ground  that  is  common 
for  the  general  good.  The  principles  which  arc 
admitted  must  have  wider  scope,  a  freer  operation 
in  a  clear  field,  before  there  can  be  a  much  greater 
approach  to  Christian  union.  Each  must  respect 
the  other's  independence  of  mind.  Each  must  really 
be  jealous  for  his  brother's  freedom  of  conscience, 
and  then  study  how  both  can  do  the  most  for  Christ's 
glory,  on  the  ground  of  common  principles,  before 
the  mists  of  prejudice  can  be  dispelled,  and  the 
causes  of  separation  dissolved,  and  heart  be  bound 
to  heart,  in  the  ties  of  a  real  and  enduring  union. 
Let  this  but  be  done,  let  the  maxim  of  the  text  thus 
be  practised,  and  candor  will  take  the  place  of  preju- 
dice, and  confidence  will  take  the  place  of  suspicion, 
and  charity  will  rule  in  the  room  of  jealousy,  truth 
will  be  investigated  by  new  lights,  with  hearts  more 
simple  and  eyes  more  single,  till  ere  long,  one  mind 
will  be  seen  approximating  to  another,  seeking  the 
same  thing,  using  the  same  means,  and  reaching  the 
same  end,  and  so,  at  last,  the  full  glory  of  the  Lord 
will  appear  in  Zion,  her  watchmen  shall  all  see  eye 
to  eye,  and  lift  up  their  voice  in  perfect  harmony. 

Fourthly.  The  excellence  of  this  maxim  may  be 
seen  if  we  consider,  that  in  the  practice  of  it,  the 
evil  of  all  difference  of  opinion  would  be  in  a  great 
degree  obviated,  because  the  church  would  then  in- 
fluence the  world,  by  exhibiting  a  bright  example 


364  Christian  Union. 


of  the  Christian  spirit.  For  certainly  there  is  some- 
thing much  more  adapted  to  impress  the  mind  with 
a  sense  of  the  reality  and  power  of  religion,  in  see- 
ing Christians  of  different  opinions,  loving  each 
other  and  acting  together  for  the  glory  of  God,  than 
in  seeing  a  large  body  distinguished  by  a  perfect 
unity  of  sentiment,  joining  in  the  same  worship,  and 
in  observing  the  same  ecclesiastic'al  rules.  Such  a 
unity  has  long  been  the  boast  of  the  Romish  church, 
but  to  what  has  it  amounted  ?  What  moral  excel- 
lence was  there  in  it  ?  What  has  it  done  for  the 
world?  How  has  it  honored  Christianity  ?  Tiirough- 
out  her  vast  dominion,  in  the  days  of  her  power, 
when  none  ventured  to  mutter  a  word  of  dissent 
from  her  decrees,  there  was  unity  indeed,  but  the 
stillness  which  prevailed  was  the  stillness  of  moral 
death,  the  silence  of  the  sepulchre,  when  the  spirit 
of  true  freedom  and  of  real  Christianity  had  expired 
together.  And  even  now,  if  throughout  the  world, 
all  Christians  were  called  by  the  same  name  and 
acknowledged  the  same  discipline  and  observed  pre- 
cisely the  same  order,  that  unity  would  be  by  no 
means  so  impressive  and  effective,  as  the  unity  of 
the  spirit  kept  in  the  bonds  of  peace,  and  manifested 
in  a  hearty  cooperation  for  the  spread  of  truth,  the 
progress  of  society,  the  honor  of  religion,  and  the 
salvation  of  the  world.  In  such  a  union  as  this  the 
world  itself  sees  a  moral  glory,  feels  its  power,  is 
forced  to  pay  it  homage,  and  to  say,  "  it  is  of  God." 
In  this,  the  spirit  of  Christianity  is  revealed,  and 
Christianity  is  proved  to  be  the  religion  of  love. 
Its  subjects  fgel  within  them  the  working  of  a  kin- 


Christian  Union.  365 

dred  spirit,  and  the  strengthening  of  common  bonds, 
love  each  other  more  and  more,  and  so  exalt  Christ 
as  to  draw  all  men  to  him.  Then  is  seen  on  earth 
the  blessing  Jesus  sought,  when  he  prayed  for  his 
disciples,  that  they  all  might  be  one,  "  as  thou 
Fatlier,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also  may 
be  one  in  us  ;  that  the  world  may  believe  that  thou 
hast  sent  me." 

III.  Such  being  the  excellence  of  this  rule,  let  us 
now  proceed  to  consider  some  of  its  applications. 

First.  It  applies  to  the  spiritual  fellowship  of 
Christians.  All  true  Christians  have  attained  to 
the  knowledge  of  some  truths  which  are  of  eternal 
worth,  and  which  form  the  ground  of  an  everlasting 
fellowship.  All  such  have  learned  to  prize  Chris- 
tianity as  the  religion  of  sinners.  They  have  all 
been  convinced  of  sin  by  the  law,  felt  and  confessed 
their  just  condemnation,  turned  from  sin  with  godly 
sorrow,  trusted  in  the  atoning  merits  of  an  Almighty 
Saviour,  and  feeling  their  dependence  on  the  Holy 
Spirit,  have  panted  for  his  sanctifying  influences. 
All  such,  wherever  they  may  be,  whatever  name 
they  may  bear,  should  love  each  other  with  pure 
hearts  fervently.  No  Christian  should  fail  to  cher- 
ish and  acknowledge  a  cordial  fellowship  towards 
any  member  of  Christ's  family,  on  account  of  the 
ignorance,  or  prejudice,  or  pride,  or  any  infirmity 
which  may  mar  or  deform  the  image  of  the  Saviour, 
in  one  whom  he  must  still  regard  as  a  brother.  He 
should  love  him,  in  spite  of  these.  These  will  all  pass 
away,  if  the  elements  of  Christian  character  are 
there,  and  that  soul  will  shine  in  celestial  purity  on 


366  Christian  Union. 


hiffh.  Each,  therefore,  should  seek  to  make  the  most 
of  the  other  here,  to  increase  his  purity  and  his  use- 
fulness, and  to  cause  all  that  he  has,  to  redound  to 
the  glory  of  God.  Such  is  the  natural  tendency  of 
Christian  principles  when  their  operation  is  left  un- 
embarrassed. It  may  be  easy  for  men  to  raise  nice 
questions  on  articles  of  belief,  ecclesiastical  councils 
may  comprise  their  creed  in  two  points,  in  five,  or 
thirty-nine,  and  say  that  to  receive  them  all  is  ne- 
cessary to  church  fellowship  ;  yet  after  all  it  will  be 
found  that  those  who  as  lost  sinners,  have  fled  to 
Christ  as  a  divine  and  atoning  Saviour,  and  through 
the  spirit  of  peace,  are  seeking  to  live  to  his  glory, 
will  recognize  in  each  other  kindred  elements,  "  the 
unction  from  the  Holy  one,"  which  quickens  and  en- 
lightens, will  feel  that  this  is  true  religion ;  and 
though  unlearned  in  every  thing  except  the  Bible, 
will  discern  here  the  impress  of  evangelical  Chris- 
tianity. With  the  truth  of  this,  I  was  once  deeply 
impressed  when  on  a  visit  to  Switzerland,  I  happened 
one  day  to  be  in  company  with  one  of  the  oldest 
ministers  of  that  beautiful  country.  It  was  on  a 
Saturday  morning.  He  was  sitting  in  a  summer 
house  surrounded  with  trees  and  flowers,  and  sing- 
ing birds,  preparing  a  sermon  for  the  Sabbath.  As 
the  old  man  rose  to  bid  me  welcome,  his  benignant 
features,  his  white  locks  hanging  around  his  should- 
ers, his  gentle  expressions  awakened  in  my  heart 
deep  feelings  of  reverence  and  esteem.  Very  soon 
he  made  some  inquiries  respecting  the  state  of  theo- 
logical opinion  in  America,  and  expressed  his  dis- 
satisfaction with  some  views  touching  the  mode  of 


Christian  Union.  367 


preaching  the  gospel,  which  he  perceived  me  to  fa- 
vor. Ere  long  he  asked,  "  with  what  church  are  you 
connected  ?  "  I  replied  that  I  was  pastor  of  a  Bap- 
tist church.  With  quick  emotion  and  frank  expres- 
sion, he  made  known  to  me  his  dislike  of  the  doc- 
trine which  excluded  infants  from  the  rite  of  bap- 
tism. To  this  I  said.  Sir,-!  doubt  not  that  you  re- 
ject that  doctrine  for  the  same  reason  which  leads 
me  to  embrace  it ;  that  is,  what  seems  to  be  the  will 
of  Christ,  so  that  there,  we  are  one  !  That  remark 
touched  a  chord  in  the  old  man's  bosom,  which  vi- 
brated in  unison  with  its  spirit,  and  to  it  he  cor- 
dially responded.  After  an  hour  of  animated  theo- 
logical discussion,  I  rose  to  leave  him.  Accompany- 
ing me  to  his  garden  gate,  he  said,  "  My  young 
friend,  I  think  you  are  cherishing  some  errors,  but 
you  arc  a  child  of  God's  covenant,  I  trust ;  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Saviour's  family."  Then  presenting  to 
me  the  token  of  friendship  whicli  prevails  in  many 
parts  of  Europe,  as  well  as  in  Eastern  lands,  the 
salutation  with  a  kiss,  he  lifted  up  his  hands,  invok- 
ed on  me  the  blessing  of  Heaven,  a  safe  return  to 
my  native  land — and  so,  bade  me  ''  farewelU^  How 
could  I  help  feeling  as  I  left  him,  that  it  was  better 
for  us  to  differ  as  we  did  in  theological  sentiment, 
and  yet  cherish  this  union  of  soul,  than  it  would  be 
to  agree  on  every  point  of  doctrine  and  church  or- 
der, with  less  of  that  spiritual  fellowship  which  was 
the  object  of  the  Saviour's  prayer,  and  which  consti- 
tutes the  bliss  of  heaven  !  What  is  the  chaff  to  the 
wheat  ?  saith  the  Lord. 

Secondly.  This  rule  applies  to  the  ecclesiastical 


368  Christian  Union. 


fellowship  of  Christians.  It  were  indeed'devoutly 
to  be  wished,  that  our  spiritual  and  ecclesiastical 
fellowship  were  commensurate  ;  that  all  who  are 
members  of  Christ's  spiritual  family,  could  unite  in 
one  visible  church.  But  in  the  present  imperfect 
state  of  human  nature,  this  seems  to  be  impossible. 
From  age  to  age,  true  Christians  have  differed  not 
so  much  about  the' doctrines  of  the  church  as  its  con- 
stitution. Some  have  regarded  the  church  as  a  na- 
tional institution,  rightfully  embracing  all  who  were 
born  within  a  certain  political  boundary,  who  were 
thus  committed  to  her  charge  to  be  trained  up  for 
heaven.  Others  have  regarded  the  church  as  em- 
bracing the  children  of  believing  parents,  who  have 
been  dedicated  at  her  altar.  Some  regard  the  church 
visible  as  being  destitute  of  outward  rites.  Others 
regard  the  church  as  being  destitute  of  a  regular 
ministry.  Some  consider  the  church  as  consisting 
essentially  of  a  Christian  priesthood  empowered  to 
administer  ordinances,  and  transmitted  by  virtue  of 
successive  ordinations  from  the  apostolic  age  on- 
ward till  now.  Others  view  the  church  as  consist- 
ing simply  of  an  association  of  believers,  combined  on 
the  ground  of  a  common  faith  professed  by  a  volun- 
tary baptism,  in  the  name  of  Christ.  Of  course 
these  different  views  involve  different  requisitions 
for  membership  in  a  Christian  church.  One  church, 
therefore,  will  look  upon  another  as  not  properly 
constituted.  Now,  the  Christian  rule  demands,  that 
for  such  difference,  no  one  judge  his  brother,  or  exile 
him  from  his  spiritual  communion,  but  that  he  res- 
pect his  liberty,  and  love  him  for  his  conscientious 


Christian  Union.  369 

regard  to  what  he  deems  the  will  of  his  Lord.  Far 
more  should  I  rejoice,  to  see  a  man  striving  to  keep 
his  conscience  void  of  offence  toward  God,  than  that 
he  should  strive  to  agree  with  me  in  every  opinion. 
If  my  ministering  brother  believe  that  ordination  by 
the  hand  of  a  diocesan  bishop,  is  necessary  to  qualify 
a  man  to  preach  the  gospel,  he  of  course  ought  to 
submit  to  it,  nor  ought  I  to  charge  him  with  aught 
uncharitable,  if  he  cannot  invite  me  to  his  pulpit, 
but  rather  to  honor  him  for  his  consistency.  If  on 
the  other  hand,  I  regard  immersion  in  Christ's  name 
on  a  profession  of  faith,  as  essential  to  church  mem- 
bership, and  the  outward  communion,  no  one  should 
think  it  at  all  uncharitable,  if  in  those  relations,  I 
should  unite  with  only  those  who  have  met  the  as- 
signed conditions.  Each  should  ask,  "  what  is  truth," 
should  study  Christ's  will  himself,  and  do  it  from 
the  heart  ;  and  urging  the  same  duty  on  his  Chris- 
tian brother,  leave  him  to  follow  out  the  convictions 
of  his  own  mind,  resolving  still,  that  as  far  as  we 
have  attained,  we  will  walk  by  the  same  rule,  and 
mind  the  same  thing.  Oh !  what  a  beautiful  scene 
would  the  whole  garden  of  the  Lord  present,  if  such 
a  heartfelt,  generous  charity  prevailed  !  Then,  how 
comparatively  insignificant  the  evil  of  a  difference 
of  opinion !  How  happily  adapted,  rather  to  en- 
large our  hearts,  to  try  the  reality  of  our  love,  and 
to  show  "  what  manner  of  spirit  we  are  of." 

Thirdly.  This  rule  applies  to  the  efforts  of  Chris- 
tians, in  the  field  of  benevolent  enterprize.  He  who 
looks  upon  the  world  with  a  Christian's  eye,  knows 
that  this  field  is  large  «nough  to  give  full  scope  to 


S70  Christian  Union. 


all  the  power  that  can  be  enlisted  on  the  side  of 
righteousness.  His  spirit  sometimes  faints  in  view 
of  its  vast  extent,  of  the  amount  of  ignorance  to  be 
enlightened,  of  suffering  to  be  relieved,  of  vice  to  be 
exterminated,  of  subtile  wisdom  to  be  baffled,  the 
number  of  souls  to  be  converted,  and  of  improve- 
ments to  be  made  in  the  progress  of  society.  Now 
it  will  unavoidably  happen,  that  in  regard  to  the 
means  to  be  used  for  doing  all  this,  in  regard  to  the 
right  and  expediency  of  some  measures,  there  will 
be  a  difference  of  opinion.  Each  takes  strong  views 
of  the  case,  in  its  various  aspects.  But,  then,  each 
is  too  prone  to  feel  that  he  sees  the  whole,  that  he 
knows  what  is  best,  that  wisdom  is  with  him,  that 
he  lives  exactly  under  the  meridian  blaze  of  truth, 
and  to  denounce  those  who  do  not  see  the  path  to 
be  pursued  in  just  the  same  line  of  light,  as  pitiably 
or  criminally  blind.  Thence  each  in  his  narrowness, 
is  too  prone  to  link  himself  to  some  favorite  object 
and  favorite  means  of  attaining  it,  to  cast  out  all 
others  from  the  sphere  of  his  sympathy,  and  to  disso- 
ciate himself  from  those  who  cannot  work  for  his  one 
object,  in  his  one  way.  But  this  is  not  the  manner 
of  God  ;  this  is  not  according  to  the  mind  of  Christ. 
This  contravenes  the  maxim  of  the  text.  That 
would  lead  us,  if  we  cannot  cooperate  with  a  Chris- 
tian brother  in  all  things,  to  unite  with  him  in  doing 
some  ;  if  not  in  many,  in  a  few  ;  if  not  in  two,  Ave 
should  do  it  in  one.  He  may  seem  to  be  bigoted, 
prejudiced,  or  ill-informed  ;  but  then  judge  him  not, 
abandon  him  not ;  the  way  to  enlarge  his  mind  is  to 
give  play  to  the  kindly  feeling  which  he  does  pos- 


Christian  Union.  371 

sess,  and  aid  him  to  act  out  even  in  a  narrow  sphere, 
that  one  principle  which  he  does  avow,  in  unison 
with  you.  He  may  cherish  some  errors  of  judgment, 
and  thence  of  practice  which  you  deeply  deplore — • 
he  may  be  blind  to  some  truths,  which  seem  to  you 
the  clearest  of  all — he  .may  look  coldly  on  some 
enterprize,  which  you  regard  as  of  the  highest  mo- 
ment— yea  more,  he  may,  quite  unconscious  of  wrong, 
or  submitting,  as  he  thinks,  to  the  hard  law  of  his 
condition,  hold  your  brother  in  involuntary  servi- 
tude ;  yet  unless  the  circumstances  of  his  case  are 
such  as  to  constrain  you  to  say  in  the  spirit  of 
charity,  ''  this  man  knoweth  not  Christ,  and  the  love 
of  the  Father  is  not  in  him,"  far,  far  be  it  from  you, 
to  deny  the  sacred  relation  which  you  hold  to  him,  to 

"  Snatch  from  God's  hand  the  balance  and  the  rod," 

and  doom  him  to  a  place  without  the  pale  of  Chris- 
tian fellowship.  If  he  be  still  in  spirit  a  brother, 
own  and  honor  him  as  such.  If  he  conform  to  the 
constitutional  laws  of  the  outward  church,  acknow- 
ledge his  standing  there.  Oh  !  turn  not  away  from 
him,  but  ask  how  can  I  augment  his  usefulness  and 
make  what  there  is  of  the  Christian  in  him,  most 
available  for  Christ.  So  will  your  zeal  prove  itself 
to  be  not  a  spark  struck  from  a  heart  of  stone  by 
the  collision  of  outward  events,  kindling  strife  and 
setting  on  fire  the  course  of  nature,  but  a  pure  and 
heavenly  flame,  shining  with  a  constant  lustre,  and 
diffusing  a  genial  light  and  heat  throughout  the 
whole  territory  of  Zion. 


CHRISTIANITY 


AND 


S  L A  YE  E Y 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  SLAVERY. 


INTRODUCTION. 


SECTION    I. 
THE  MAIN  QUESTION. 

SECTIOIS'    II. 
DR.  FULLER'S  ARGUMENT. 

SECTION    III. 
DR.  WAYLAND'S  REPLY. 

SECTION    IV. 
THE  CARDINAL  MISTAKE. 

SECTION  y. 

THE  EXTENT  and  the  ABOLITION  OF  ROMAN 
SLAVERY  AMONG  CHRISTIANS. 

SECTION    VI. 

THE  EPISTLES  OF  PAUL  CONFIRMATORY 
OF  OUR  POSITION. 

SECTION    VII. 
RESPONSIBILITY  of  AMERICAN  CHRISTIANS. 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  SLAVERY. 


Domestic  Slavery,  considered  as  a  Scriptural  Institution.  In  a 
Correspondence  between  the  Rev.  Richard  Fuller,  D.D.,  of 
Beaufort,  S.  C,  and  the  Rev.  Francis  Wayland,  D.D.,  of  Provi- 
dence, R.  I.  New  York;  Lewis  Colby.  Boston:  Gould,  Ken 
dall  &  Lincoln. 

We  have  before  us  a  remarkable  book.  In  the 
lapse  of  ages,  it  will  probably  be  regarded  as  an 
instructive  fact  in  the  history  of  Christian  civiliza- 
tion, that  in  the  nineteenth  century,  in  the  Republic 
of  North  America,— famed  through  the  world  as  the 

asylum  of  the  oppressed  and  the  home  of  liberty, 

two  Christian  ministers,  distinguished  for  piety  and 
learning,  united  in  the  common  work  of  sending  the 
gospel  to  the  Pagan  nations,  should  have  felt  them- 
selves called  upon  to  engage  in  an  earnest  discussion 
of  the  question.  Whether  Christianity  sanctions 
slavery ;  or  whether  the  continuance  of  that  rela- 
tion between  master  and  slave,  which  involves  the 
acknowledgment  of  a  right  on  the  part  of  one  man 
to  hold  the  body  and  mind  of  another  man  as  pro- 
perty, is  compatible  with  the  principles  of  Christi- 
anity,— with  the  letter  or  the  spirit  of  its  law  ?    Nor 


376  Christianity  and  Slavery. 


will  the  extraordinary  character  of  this  event  be  at 
all  diminished  by  the  consideration,  that  both  of  the 
disputants  belonged  to  the  denomination  of  Baptists, 
who  had  been  often  known  in  the  world  as  the  advo- 
cates of  religious  liberty,' — asserters  of  the  inaliena- 
ble rights  of  the  human  soul ;  who,  in  the  darkest 
ages  of  Romish  tyranny,  declared  with  a  martyr- 
spirit,  before  kings  and  magistrates,  that  one  funda- 
mental doctrine  of  the  new  dispensation,  "  that  con- 
science should  be  free,  and  all  men  be  permitted  to 
worship  God  as  they  are  persuaded  that  he  requires;" 
and  who,  in  different  centuries,  have  been  the  perse- 
cuted champions  of  the  great  truth,  that  the  Bible 
alone  is  the  binding  rule  of  religious  faith, — that  to 
its  possession  every  man  has  a  right,  as  by  it  every 
man  will  be  judged. 

Yet  the  volume  before  us  furnishes  proof  that  such 
a  fact  has  occurred  ;  that,  after  all  tliat  has  been 
written,  even  by  avowed  infidels,  in  praise  of  Chris- 
tianity, for  its  effects  on  the  social  condition  of  man; 
after  all  that  has  been  done  to  elevate  the  poor  and 
the  oppressed  ;  after  all  that  it  has  taught  respecting 
the  common  origin  and  the  common  redemption  of 
the  race  ;  after  all  the  prophecies  which  it  has  held 
forth,  through  many  centuries,  touching  the  design 
of  God  that  mankind  shall  form  a  common  brother- 
hood ;  after  all  the  evidence  which  theologians  have 
urged  in  proof  of  its  being  a  divine  revelation,  drawn 
from  its  influence  on  the  abolition  of  slavery, — it  is 
still  boldly  asserted  by  a  Christian  minister,  that  the 
essential  principles  of  the  slave-system  itself  Christi- 
anity does  not  reprobate,  but  that  a  man  may  claim 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  377 

e 

to  be  by  right  the  sovereign  lord  and  owner  of  his 
fellow-man,  and  yet  to  be  his  brother  in  Christ,  and 
faithful  in  the  discharge  of  all  the  duties  which  are 
enjoined  by  "  the  new  commandment."  Such  is  the 
position  of  Dr.  Fuller  ;  a  position  which  we  aver  to 
be  built  on  the  sand,  to  have  no  foundation  in  the 
teachings  of  the  New  Testament ;  a  position  such, 
that,  if  it  were  true,  would  show  that  the  "  old  com- 
mandment'' of  Judaism,  which  abolished  slavery, 
was  better  than  the  new  commandment  of  Christi- 
anity, which  allows  it ;  would  show  that  Christianity 
was  not  fit  to  win  its  way  through  all  the  tribes  of 
men,  as  a  universal  religion  ;  would  show,  in  spite 
of  all  its  pretensions  to  miraculous  evidence,  that  as 
yet  the  Messiah  of  ancient  prophecy,  the  Messiah 
of  man,  the  Deliverer  of  the  oppressed,  the  Desire  of 
nations,  the  preacher  of  "  liberty  to  the  captive,"  has 
not  come  ;  and  that,  with  the  Jew,  we  must  take  our 
place  of  lowly  waiting  for  the  "  Consolation  of 
Israel,"  and  the  Promised  seed  in  whom  "  all  the 
families  of  the  earth  "  are  to  be  blessed. 

Eloquent  as  is  Dr.  Fuller  in  argument  and  appeal, 
fervent  as  is  the  religious  spirit  which  he  breathes, 
earnest  though  he  be  as  a  preacher  of  pardon  to  the 
sinner,  yet,  by  advocating  such  a  doctrine  of  slavery 
as  an  element  of  Christianity,  he  has  done  greater 
disservice  to  the  cause  of  religion  and  humanity, 
than  could  possibly  be  achieved  by  all  the  traffickers 
of  human  flesh  whom  the  laws  of  Christian  nations 
now  condemn  as  public  enemies  of  their  race.  We 
say  this  in  sorrow,  not  in  anger  ;  for  to  express  one's 
deep,  calm,  solemn  conviction  of  a  terrible  truth,  is 


378  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

not  at  war  with  the  law  of  kindness.  The  actual 
dealers  of  slaves,  of  whom  we  speak,  avow  their  pro- 
fession to  be  that  of  rapacity  ;  their  motive  to  be 
the  love  of  gain  ;  and  it  is  impossible  for  them  to 
corrupt  public  sentiment,  as  may  the  Christian 
teacher.  They  commit  a  great  sin  ;  but  to  misrep- 
resent Christianity  on  this  subject  is  to  take  away 
the  remedy  for  sin.  They  bring  thousands  of  their 
fellow-creatures  into  bondage ;  but  to  make  men 
believe  that  Christianity  sanctions  a  system  of  bon- 
dage which  thus  begins,  is  to  cut  the  sinew  of  all  the 
moral  power  in  the  world  which  can  destroy  that 
system.  They  can  affect  the  opinions  of  society  but 
little,  because  they  are  abhorred  as  the  enemies  of 
their  race  ;  but  the  minister  of  religion  is  revered  as 
the  interpreter  of  the  divine  will.  They  can  do 
nothing  to  erect  the  bulwarks  of  the  law  around 
their  trade  in  men,  and  around  the  markets  whose 
demands  they  supply  ;  but  he  does  very  much  to 
rear  a  legal  defence  around  a  scheme  of  oppression, 
and  to  perpetuate  a  social  wrong  on  earth,  *'  which 
hell  itself  might  shrink  to  own."  What  though  it 
be  said  that  in  him  God  may  account  it  as  an  error 
of  judgment,  and  not  a  sin  of  the  heart  ?  Be  it  so  ; 
but  charity  to  the  man  must  not  conciliate  us  to  his 
error.  We  must  still  declare  it  to  be  an  error  ; 
and,  with  the  New  Testament  in  our  hands,  must 
say  to  the  most  amiable  of  men,  "  Though  you,  or 
an  angel  from  heaven,"  preach  this  doctrine  as  a 
part  of  Christ's  gospel,  we  pronounce  the  sentiment 
to  be  wicked,  inhuman,  antichristian,  and  "accursed." 
In  speaking  thus,  we  are  far  from  denouncing, 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  379 

indiscriminately,  all  those  who  stand  in  the  legal 
relation  of  slave-holders,  as  unworthy  of  being  re- 
garded as  Christian  brethren  ;  for  a  man  may  hold 
this  relation,  in  a  legal  sense,  against  his  own  con- 
sent. He  may  deem  himself  the  victim  of  misfor- 
tune ;  he  may  feel  bound  to  avail  himself  of  his  legal 
power,  for  the  protection  of  his  brethren  ;  and  espe- 
cially he  may,  before  God,  as  a  Christian  man,  abjure 
all  right  and  title  to  his  fellow-men  as  property. 
Such  a  man,  though  nominally  master  of  a  thousand 
slaves,  is  more  truly  a  philanthropist,  and  more 
worthy  the  fellowship  of  the  universal  church,  than 
is  the  Northern  Christian  who  never  saw  a  slave, 
and  still  declares  that  Christianity  sanctions  slavery. 
The  former  is  a  slaveholder  in  name,  but  not  in 
truth  and  in  spirit ;  the  latter  is  called  a  non-slave- 
holder, but  a  change  of  residence  would  make  him 
an  owner  of  men  and  women,  and  he  is  now  a  slave- 
holder in  principle,  in  feeling,  and  in  guiltiness. 
The  author  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  assures  us, 
that  God  judges  men,  not  merely  according  to  their 
overt  acts,  but  according  to  the  intents  of  their 
hearts, — the  objects  of  their  approval  or  abhorrence. 
Hence  we  have  been  deeply  interested  in  the 
argument  contained  in  these  letters,  conducted  by  a 
leading  writer  of  the  South  and  another  of  the 
North.  Not  being  of  those  who  would  say,  "  This 
discussion  belongs  to  the  realm  of  abstractions  ;  it 
is  better  to  let  it  alone,  and  to  deal  only  with  facts ;'^ 
we  deem  the  discussion  itself  as  a  fact  of  the  highest 
moment.  For  ourselves,  we  have  not  been  aware, 
till  recently,  how  extensively  the  opinion  defended 


380  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

by  Dr.  Fuller  prevails  among  Southern  Christians, 
— how  far  they  have  departed  from  the  purer  doc- 
trines of  their  fathers.  We  supposed  that,  to  a 
wider  extent  than  seems  now  to  be  the  case,  they 
had  agreed  with  us  in  believing  that  Christianity 
entirely  condemns  the  slave  system  ;  and  that  in 
proportion  as  their  influence  in  ths  state  was  increas- 
ing, the  day  of  emancipation  was  hastening  on.  We 
had  often  thought  of  them,  as  lacking  a  proper  de- 
gree of  zeal  in  the  work  ;  as  being  timid  and  tardy, 
and  too  subservient  to  the  schemes  of  worldly  poli- 
ticians ;  but  we  had  never  believed  them  so  gene- 
rally to  have  embraced  a  corrupt  doctrine,  to  have 
perverted  the  high  principles  of  Christianity,  and  to 
have  been  pressing  into  the  support  of  slavery  a 
religion  which  came  into  the  world  "  to  comfort  the 
broken-hearted,  to  lift  up  those  who  were  bowed 
down,  to  break  every  yoke,  and  let  the  oppressed 
go  free.'^ 


SECTION    I. 


THE    MAIN    QUESTION. 


While  there  are  many  things  in  these  letters  inci- 
dentally thrown  out  on  both  sides,  which  may  be 
worthy  of  notice  at  some  time,  we  wish  now  to  con- 
sider the  main  question  proposed,  and  the  way  in 
which  it  is  treated. 

The  main  question  is.  Does  Christianity  sanction 
slavery  ?  Dr.  Fuller  asserts  the  affirmative  in  the 
clearest  terms.     He  says  :  "  I  find  my  Bible  con- 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  381 


demiiing  the  abuses  of  slavery,  but  permitting  the 
system  itself."     Page  4. 

"  The  matter  stands  thus  :  the  Bible  did  autho- 
rize some  sort  of  slavery  ;  if  now  the  abuses  admitted 
and  deplored  by  me  be  essentials  of  all  slavery,  then 
the  Bible  did  allow  those  abuses."  .  Page  10. 

"  Slavery  was  everywhere  a  part  of  the  social 
organization  of  the  earth  ;  and  slaves  and  their 
masters  were  members  together  of  the  churches  ; 
and  minute  instructions  are  given  to  each  as  to 
their  duties,  without  even  an  insinuation  that  it  was 
the  duty  of  masters  to  emancipate.  Now  I  ask, 
could  this  possibly  be  so,  if  slavery  were  a  '  heinous 
sin  ? '  No !  every  candid  man  will  answer  no  !" 
Page  12. 

"  I  put  it  to  any  one  whether  the  precepts  to  mas- 
ters, enjoining  of  course  their  whole  duty,  and  not 
requiring,  not  exhorting  them  to  emancipate  their 
slaves,  are  not  conclusive  proof  that  the  apostles  did 
not  consider  (and  as  a  New  Testament  precept  is 
for  all  ages,  that  no  one  is  now  justified  in  denounc- 
ing) slave-holding  as  a  sin."     Page  194. 


SECTION   II. 

DR.     fuller's    argument. 

From  these  citations  it  is  evident,  that  the  argu- 
ment of  Dr.  Fuller,  as  to  the  teaching  of  the  New 
Testament,  rests  on  two  points  : 

1.  The  fact  that  the  relation  of  master  and  slave 


382  Christianity  and  Slavery. 


was  recognized  throughout  the  civilized  world,  by 
the  law  of  the  Roman  empire. 

2.  The  silence  of  the  New  Testament,  as  to  the 
duty  of  dissolving  that  relation. 

This  argument  has  respect,  necessarily,  to  the  slave 
system  recognized  by  the  Roman  law,  which  was 
then  so  extensively  supreme,  because  there  is  no  evi- 
dence that  our  Saviour  or  the  apostles  ever  came  in 
contact  with  slavery  under  the  Jewish  law.  Among 
the  people  of  Palestine,  involuntary  servitude  had 
been  brought  to  an  end,  hundreds  of  years  before 
the  Christian  era,  by  the  natural  operation  of  the 
code  of  Moses.  Every  slave  bought  of  the  heathen 
received  the  offer  of  freedom  at  the  end  of  every 
seventh  year,  if  he  were  a  Jewish  proselyte  ;  and 
whether  he  were  a  Jewish  proselyte  or  not,  the 
jubilee  trumpet  sounded  forth  the  decree  of  liberty 
at  the  close  of  every  half  century.  The  passage 
quoted  by  Dr.  Fuller,  from  the  xxv.  chapter  of  Le- 
viticus, which  forbids  the  purchase  of  bondmen  from 
any  except  the  heathen  and  strangers,  saying  :  "  Of 
them  shall  ye  buy  bondmen  and  bondmaids,  and  ye 
shall  take  them  as  an  inheritance  for  your  children 
after  you,  to  inherit  them  for  a  possession  ;  they 
shall  be  your  bondmen  forever  ;"*  must  be  under- 
stood, in  consistency  with  the  law  of  the  jubilee, 
which  had  been  laid  down  in  a  preceding  part  of 
that  same  chapter,^  which  says  :  "  Thou  shalt  cause 
the  trumpet  of  the  jubilee  to  sound,  on  the  tenth  day 
of  the  seventh  month,  in  the  day  of  atonement  shall 


*  Verse  46. 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  383 


ye  make  the  trumpet  sound  throughout  all  your 
land  ;  and  ye  shall  hallow  the  fiftieth  year,  and  pro- 
claim liberty  throughout  all  the  land,  unto  all  the 
INHABITANTS  THEREOF  :  it  shall  be  a  jubilee  unto 
you  :  and  ye  shall  return  every  man  unto  his  posses- 
sion, and  every  man  unto  his  family.""^  Such  was 
the  law  of  jubilee  ;  limiting  the  sales  of  men,  as  it 
did  the  sales  of  land,  whereof  it  said  :  "  According  to 
the  multitude  of  years  after  the  jubilee,  thou  shalt 
buy  of  thy  neighbor  ;  according  to  the  multitude  of 
years  thou  shalt  increase  the  price  thereof,  and 
according  to  the  fewness  of  years  thou  shalt  diminish 
the  price  of  it :"  when,  therefore,  another  law  enacts 
that  bondmen  shall  be  purchased  of  the  children  of 
the  heathen,  instead  of  the  children  of  Israel,  it  must 
be  understood  that  the  purchase  is  modified  by  the 
previous  law,  and  that  the  meaning  of  the  latter 
statute  is  not  the  entail  of  perpetual  slavery  on  any 
class,  but  simply  the  confining  of  the  Jews  in  the 
purchase  of  servants,  always  and  forever,  to  the 
children  of  the  heathen. 

If  there  were  any  doubt  on  this  point,  our  inter- 
pretation of  the  meaning  of  the  law  would  be  con- 
firmed by  considering  the  fact,  that  the  inspired 
prophets  treated  the  continuance  of  slavery  as  incon- 
sistent with  the  spirit  of  the  Mosaic  precepts.  In 
saying  this,  however,  we  do  not  mean  to  intimate 
that  they  ever  had  occasion  to  denounce  any  kind 
of  oppression  possessing  the  character  of  American 
slavery  ;  for  nothing  like  that  could   have  existed 

*  Verses  9,  10. 


384  Christianity  and  Slavery. 


a  single  day  in  Palestine  after  the  entrance  of  the 
Israelites.  American  slavery  originated  in  kid- 
napping men  and  women  from  Africa  ;  but  this  was 
the  only  kind  of  theft  which  the  law  of  Moses  made 
a  capital  crime.  "  He  that  stealeth  a  man,  and 
selleth  him,  or  if  he  be  found  in  his  hand,  he  shall 
surely  be  put  to  death."  (Ex.  xxi.  16.)  The  man- 
stealer,  and  the  man-seller,  and  the  slaveholder,  were 
alike  liable  to  capital  punishment.  The  Mosaic  law 
would  have  always  prevented  the  slavery  of  the 
United  States,  and  would  destroy  it  instantly  now, 
if  put  in  operation.  In  Palestine,  war,  debt,  pov- 
erty, and  voluntary  contract,  originated,  at  different 
periods,  a  servitude  which  was  temporary,  the  peri- 
odical abolition  of  which  was  provided  for  by  law. 
Against  this  abolition,  avarice  would  naturally  re- 
volt, and  seek  to  evade  the  law  for  the  sake  of  gain. 
On  this  point  the  Prophet  Isaiah  lifted  up  his  voice 
like  a  trumpet,  instead  of  treating  it  as  a  subject  too 
delicate  to  be  mentioned,  "  cried  aloud  and  spared 
not,"  saying.  "  Behold,  ye  fast  for  strife,  and  debate, 
and  to  smite  with  the  fist  of  wickedness.  Is  not  this 
the  fast  that  I  have  chosen  ?  to  loose  the  bands  of 
wickedness,  to  undo  the  heavy  burdens,  and  to  let 
the  oppressed  go  free,  and  that  ye  break  every  yokeV^^ 
If  the  churches  of  the  South  should  make  proclama- 
tion of  a  fast  like  this,  who  would  doubt  that  it 
involved  the  emancipation  of  the  slave,  and  that  this 
would  be  a  fast  most  acceptable  to  God  ? 

Similar  in  spirit  is  the  language  of  the  Prophet 
,f- — _ .  — • 

*  Is.  Iviii.  6. 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  385 

Jeremiah  in  regard  to  an  effort  on  the  part  of  the 
covetous  rulers  of  that  day,  to  renew  the  bondage 
of  the  Hebreio  servants  after  they  had  been  released. 
See  the  xxxivth  chapter,  from  the  12th  verse  onward.. 
"  Then  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  to  Jeremiah  from 
the  Lord,  saying.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  God  of 
Israel,  I  made  a  covenant  with  your  fathers  in  the 
day  that  I  brought  them  forth  out  of  the  land  of 
Egypt,  out  of  the  house  of  bondmen,  saying,  At  the 
end  of  seven  years  let  ye  go  every  man  his  brother, 
a  Hebrew  who  hath  been  sold  unto  thee  ;  and  when 
he  hath  served  thee  six  years,  thou  shalt  let  him  go 
free  from  thee  ;  but  your  fathers  hearkened  not  unto 
me,  neither  inclined  rlioir  ear.  And  ye  were  now 
turned  and  had  done  right  in  my  sight  in  proclaim- 
ing liberty  every  man  to  his  neighbor,  and  ye  had 
made  a  covenant  before  me  in  the  house  which  is 
called  by  my  name.  But  ye  turned  and  polluted  my 
name,  and  caused  every  man  his  servant  and  every 
man  his  handmaid,  whom  he  had  set  at  liberty  at 
their  pleasure,  to  return  and  brought  them  into  sub- 
jection unto  you,  to  be  unto  you  for  servants  and 
for  handmaids.  Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  :  Ye 
have  not  hearkened  unto  me  in  proclaiming  liberty  every 
one  to  his  brother  and  every  man  to  his  neighbor  :  be- 
hold, I  proclaim  a  liberty  for  you,  saith  the  Lord,  to 
Ae  sword,  and  to  the  pestilence,  and  the  famine,  and 
I  will  make  you  to  be  removed  into  all  the  kingdoms 
of  the  earth,  and  I  will  give  the  men  that  have  trans- 
gressed my  covenant,  into  the  hands  of  their  ene- 
mies, and  into  the  hand  of  them  that  seek  their  life, 
and  their  dead  bodies  shall  be  meat  unto  the  fowls 


386  Christianity  and  Slavery. 


of  heaven  and  unto  the  beasts  of  the  earth."  And 
thus  it  was.  Jerusalem  was  plundered  and  burnt, 
and  the  Babylonish  captivity  made  short  work  with 
the  remnants  of  Jewish  slavery,  which  had  resisted 
the  spirit  of  the  Mosaic  institutions.  It  is  with  good 
reason,  therefore,  that  Mr.  Barnes,  in  his  work  on 
slavery,  reaches  the  conclusion,  that  "  slavery  alto- 
gether ceased  in  the  land  of  Palestine,"  and  asks, 
"  On  what  evidence  would  a  man  rely  to  prove  that 
slavery  existed  at  all  in  that  land  in  the  time  of  the 
later  prophets,  of  the  Maccabees,  or  when  the  Sa- 
viour appeared  ?  There  are  abundant  proofs  that  it 
existed  in  Greece  and  in  Rome  ;  but  what  is  the  evi- 
dence that  it  existed  in  Judea  ?  So  far  as  I  liave 
been  able  to  ascertain,  there  are  no  declarations 
that  it  did,  to  be  found  in  the  canonical  books  of  the 
Old  Testament,  or  in  Josephus.  There  are  no  allu- 
sions to  laws  or  customs  which  imply  that  it  was 
prevalent.  There  are  no  facts,  no  coins  or  medals, 
which  suppose  it."     Page  226. 

Corroborative  of  this  position  is  the  fact,  that  the 
pictures  of  life  and  manners  contained  in  the  four 
gospels  are  not  in  harmony  with  the  supposition  of 
the  existence  of  slavery  among  the  Jews.  In  the 
parable  of  the  prodigal  son,  which  delineates  the 
condition  of  a  rich  land-holder,  the  term  to  denote 
servants  is  f^iodioi^  from  utfjdog^  a  reward,  and  is  prop-' 
erly  rendered,  hired  servants.  This  word  could  not 
be  applied  to  a  slave.  In  the  parable  of  the  shep- 
herd, in  John  x.,  the  word  ^naOixnog^  from  the  same 
root,  is  used,  and  is  translated  "  hireling."  The 
same  word  is  employed  for  the  servants  of  the  fisher- 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  38T 

men,  '::  the  beginning  of  Mark's  gospel.  There  is 
not  furnished  to  us  in  the  New  Testament,  or  any 
contemporary  history,  the  least  vestige  of  a  reason 
for  believing  that  our  Saviour  or  the  apostles  ever 
came  in  contact  with  slavery  in  their  native  country. 

If  this  be  so,  there  is  very  good  reason  why  no 
instance  can  be  cited  from- the  gospel,  of  our  Lord's 
rebuking  the  sin  of  slavery  by  giving  a  command 
enjoining  emancipation.  He  uttered  precepts  ad- 
verse to  all  sin  and  all  systems  of  wrong,  but  rebuked 
only  the  specific  evils  which  fell  under  his  notice. 
Hence  we  read  nothing  of  his  condemning  the  caste 
of  India,  the  sports  of  Roman  gladiators,  or  the 
vices  of  the  theatre,  which  were  censured  even  by 
the  Pagan  moralists  themselves.  No  argument, 
therefore,  can  be  drawn  in  favor  of  slavery  from  the 
lack  of  any  specific  rebuke  of  it  in  the  teaching  of 
our  Lord.  In  his  day,  the  Jewish  law,  instead  of 
sanctioninaj  any  form  of  slavery,  had  already  extir- 
pated it  from  the  land. 

Important  as  is  this  distinction  between  the  social 
state  of  Judea  and  of  the  Gentile  world,  between 
the  operation  of  the  Jewish  and  of  the  Roman  law, 
it  is  altogether  overlooked  by  Dr.  Fuller,  and  it 
does  not  appear  that  Dr.  Wayland  has  given  to 
this  point  any  particular  attention.  Its  bearing, 
however,  on  the  main  question,  is  direct  and  mo- 
mentous. 


388  Christianity  and  Slavery. 


SECTION  III. 

DR.     WAYLAND's    reply. 

We  now  revert  to  the  position  of  Dr.  Fuller,  that 
the  Roman  law  established  slavery  ;  that  the  scrip- 
ture addresses  those  who  held  the  relation  of  master 
and  slave,  and  is  silent  as  to  the  duty  of  emancipa- 
tion. To  this  assumption  Dr.  Wayland  readily  con- 
cedes, remarking,  "  I  think  it  must  be  evident  that 
the  precepts  of  the  New  Testament  furnish  no  justifi- 
cation of  slavery,  whether  they  be  considered  either 
absolutely,  or  in  relation  to  the  usage  of  the  Roman 
empire  at  the  time  of  Christ.  All  that  can  justly 
be  said,  seems  to  me  to  be  this  :  the  New  Testament 
contains  no  precept  prohibitory  of  slavery.  This 
must,  I  think,  be  granted  ;  but  this  is  all."    Page  89. 

The  mode  in  which  the  new  dispensation  is  sup- 
posed to  have  borne  upon  the  slave-system  is  thus 
expressed  by  Dr.  Wayland  :  "  By  teaching  the  mas- 
ter his  own  accountability  ;  by  instilling  into  his 
mind  tlie  mild  and  humanizing  truths  of  Christianity; 
by  showing  him  the  folly  of  sensuality  and  luxury, 
and  the  happiness  derived  from  industry,  frugality, 
and  benevolence,  it  would  prepare  him,  of  his  own 
accord,  to  liberate  his  slave,  and  to  use  all  his  influ- 
ence toward  the  abolition  of  those  laws  by  which 
slavery  was  maintained.  By  teaching  the  slave  his 
value  and  his  responsibility  as  a  man,  and  subjecting 
his  passions  and  appetites  to  the  laws  of  Christi- 
anity, and  thus  raising  him  to  his  true  rank  as  an 
intellectual  and  moral  being,  it  would  prepare  him 


Cheistianity  and  Slavery.  389 

for  the  freedom  to  which  he  was  entitled,  and  render 
the  liberty  which  it  conferred  a  blessing  to  him,  as 
well  as  to  the  State  of  which  he  now,  for  the  first 
time,  formed  a  part."  Page  100.  But  this  state- 
ment of  the  case,  it  appears  to  us,  falls  far  short  of 
the  truth,  and  grants  a  great  deal  too  much  ;  it 
involves  a  concession,  which  gives  to  the  scriptural 
argument  of  his  opponent  an  appearance  of  strength 
which  it  does  not  really  possess.  It  is  yielding  to 
the  advocate  of  slavery  an  advantage,  which,  in  Dr. 
Fuller's  hands,  has  been  made  to  take  on  the  aspect 
of  a  triumph.  All  the  world  confess  that  Dr.  Way- 
land  is  an  elegant  writer  and  a  strong  reasoner  : 
but  the  strongest  reasoner  cannot  create  truth  ;  the 
highest  result  that  he  can  achieve,  in  a  discussion 
like  this,  is  to  use  effectively  the  elements  of  truth 
and  power  with  which  reason  and  revelation  have 
furnished  him.  But  after  such  a  concession  as  this, 
we  cannot  conceive  it  to  be  within  the  scope  of  the 
human  intellect  to  impart  to  the  scriptural  argument 
against  slavery  an  appearance  of  great  strength. 
To  give  it  force  and  poignancy,  to  direct  it  with 
quickening  and  commanding  energy  to  the  conscience 
of  the  slaveholder,  is  impossible.  Hence,  when  Dr. 
Wayland  is  borne  along  by  the  course  of  his  reason- 
ing within  the  realm  of  philosophy,  or  utters  in  our 
cars  the  appeals  of  a  Christian  philanthropy,  our 
hearts  answer  to  him  ;  we  feel  the  potent  spell  of 
"  thoughts  that  breathe  and  words  that  burn,''  and 
bow  ourselves  with  reverence  before  the  majesty  of 
truth.  But  when  he  speaks  as  an  interpreter  of  the 
Bible,  on  this  subject,  seeking  to  give  voice  to  the 


390  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

teachings  of  Jesus,  he  seems  to  have  been  "  shorn  of 
the  locks  of  his  strength,"  and  to  appear  before  us 
as  another  man.  What  he  says  is  well  said,  but  the 
moral  effect  is  weak.  The  utterance  of  God's  reve- 
lation is  feeble  and  tremulous,  compared  with  the 
clear,  bold,  and  awful  propositions  of  philosophy. 
"  The  mind  of  Christ,"  on  a  practical  matter,  of  the 
deepest  interest  to  humanity,  for  all  time,  is  made 
obscure  to  the  view  of  an  earnest  inquirer  ;  and 
though  our  Lord  is  seen  to  be,  in  fact,  befriending 
the  right  side,  yet  he  speaks  to  us  ''  as  the  scribes," 
and  not  "  as  one  having  authority."  Who  can  avoid 
such  an  impression  as  this,  on  perceiving  that  the 
reply  to  Dr.  Fuller's  claim  of  a  scriptural  sanction, 
which  fills  several  pages,  contains  a  beautiful  expo- 
sition of  the  true  doctrine  of  expediency  ;  of  the 
difference  between  opposing  a  deeply-rooted  and 
organized  evil,  by  positive  enactments,  and  by  the 
inculcation  of  a  great  principle  which  shall  work 
like  leaven  and  gradually  subvert  it ;  of  the  superior 
wisdom  of  the  latter  method  ;  and  then  urges  a 
defence  of  the  apostles  for  tolerating  slavery  as  a 
social  evil,  on  the  ground  that,  by  this  subtle  and 
effectual  method,  they  sought  to  accomplish  its 
extinction?  If  the  Christian  doctrine  "hath  this 
extent,  no  more,"  it  will  be  very  slow  in  the  work 
of  delivering  the  American  captive  ;  and  our  regret, 
therefore,  on  reading  such  a  statement  of  it,  has  been 
increased  by  perceiving  that  Mr.  Barnes  has  taken 
substantially  the  same  position. 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  391 


SECTION  IV. 

THE    CARDINAL    MISTAKE. 

But  in  all  these  exhibitions  of  the  scriptural  doc- 
trine, we  doubt  not  that  there  is  a  cardinal  mistake ; 
and  that  mistake  is  in  defining  the  relation  denoted 
by  the  words  "  servant "  and  "  master,"  ('^ovkog^  and 
xvQiog  or  dsanojijg^  by  the  law  of  Rome  instead  of 
"  the  law  of  Christ."  In  the  community  of  Chris- 
tians this  latter  governed  all  relations.  For  unto 
whom  were  these  three  epistles  of  Paul  and  one  of 
Peter,  which  contain  the  passages  referred  to,  origi- 
nally addressed?  To  the  world  at  large?  No. 
To  the  subjects  of  the  Roman  empire,  as  such  ?  No. 
To  men,  as  men  and  citizens?  No.  They  were 
addressed  to  little  communities  of  Christians  volun- 
tarily united  as  churches,  as  those  who  were  "  called 
to  be  saints,"  "  the  faithful  brethren  in  Christ ;"  to 
those  who  had  "  come  out  from  the  world  and  been 
separate  ;"  to  the  regenerated,  baptized,  and  sworn 
subjects  of  the  Messiah's  kingdom  ;  to  those  who 
had  received,  as  their  first  lesson,  the  doctrine  that, 
unless  they  could  willingly  give  up  "  houses,  or 
brethren,  or  sisters,  or  father,  or  mother,  or  Avife,  or 
children,  or  lands  "  (or  servants),  "  for  their  Lord's 
sake,  they  were  not  worthy  of  him  ;"  to  those,  and 
those  only,  who,  having  been  "  aliens  from  the  com- 
monwealth of  Israel,  and  strangers  from  the  cove- 
nants of  promise,"  had  now  been  "  brought  nigh  by 
the  blood  of  Christ,  who  had  broken  down  the 
middle  wall  of  partition  between  them,  and  made 


392  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

them  to  sit  together  in  heavenly  places."  Before 
the  epistles  were  written,  all  these  persons  had  risen 
above  the  level  of  the  Roman  law  to  a  higher  moral 
realm,  wherein  Christ  swayed  a  sceptre  of  sove- 
reignty ;  unto  whom,  looking  up,  they  could  say, 
with  the  voice  of  a  common  adoration,  in  response 
to  his  own  announcement  to  them.  Thou  alone  art 
our  master,  and  all  we  are  brethren. 

A  change  so  great  as  this,  expressed  or  implied  in 
every  title,  formulary,  and  peculiar  phrase  of  the 
apostolic  epistles,  modified  at  once  all  the  permanent 
relations  of  life, — held  forth  to  their  view  a  new 
doctrine  of  right,  a  new  standard  by  which  to  judge 
of  all  the  duties  pertaining  to  the  connections  in 
which  they  stood,  and  new  motives  of  action,  drawn 
from  their  communion  as  subjects  of  a  common  Lord, 
and  heirs  of  the  same  heavenly  inheritance.  And 
after  they  had  thus  "  learned  Christ,  the  truth  as  it 
was  in  him," — even  from  the  lips  of  apostles,  who 
had  preached  to  them,  like  Paul  on  Mars'  Hill,  in 
the  days  of  their  very  paganism  and  unregeneracy, 
that  "  God  had  made  of  one  blood  all  nations  of  men 
to  dwell  upon  all  the  face  of  the  earth,"*  did  their 
case  now  require  a  letter  of  special  instruction  to 
inform  them  that  one  of  their  number  had  no  right 
to  hold  the  other  as  property, — to  exact  his  toil  by 
violence,  or  to  bind  him  by  the  terrors  of  the  civil 
law  to  do  service  against  his  own  consent,  lest 
silence  on  this  subject  should  be  fairly  construed 
into  a  divine  toleration  of  the  prevailing  heathen 

*  Acts  xvii.  26. 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  393 

custom?  As  well  might  we  suppose  that  special 
instructions  would  be  necessary  to  direct  them  not 
to  sacrifice  their  children  unto  Moloch,  or  not  to 
fight  each  other  as  gladiators,  or  not  to  obey  the 
law  of  the  emperor  which  commanded  all  faithful 
citizens  to  deliver  up  the  Christians  to  the  civil 
authority.  Where  the  law  of  the  empire  was  at  vari- 
ance with  the  law  of  Christ,  who  can  doubt  to  which 
they  would  yield  the  supremacy  ? 


SECTION   Y. 

THE  EXTENT  AND    THE   ABOLITION  OF  ROMAN  SLAVERY. 

That  this  view  of  the  case  is  true  and  just,  will 
appear  further,  if  we  consider  how  greatly  a  know- 
ledge of  the  law  of  Christ  modified  a  Christian's 
sense  of  duty  touching  the  other  permanent  relations 
of  life.  It  is  certainly  an  error  into  which  many 
have  fallen,  to  discuss  this  subject  as  if,  by  the  law 
of  Rome,  the  right  of  slave- property  inhered  only  in  tJie 
relation  indicated  hy  the  words  master  and  servant; 
whereas  it  pertained  as  really  to  the  relation  indi- 
cated in  the  New  Testament  by  the  words  yovevg  and 
xexi>ov — parent  and  child.  Any  school-boy  may  learn 
the  origin  of  this  domestic  slavery  from  the  first 
chapter  of  Goldsmith's  History  of  Rome.  It  is 
clear,  not  only  from  Cicero,  in  his  treatise  on  the 
laws,  but  from  nearly  all  the  Roman  writers,  his- 
torians, and  poets,  that  every  father  had  the  power 
of  life  and  death  over  his  children — could  expose 


394  Christianity  and  Slavery. 


them  to  death  in  infancy  ;  and  not  only  so,  but  a 
child  was  not  deemed  legitimate,  or  treated  as  such, 
unless  the  father  took  it  formally  from  the  ground, 
and  placed  it  on  his  bosom.  Hence  arose  the  phrase 
"  tollere  filium '' — to  educate.  Dr.  Adam,  in  his 
Roman  Antiquities,  presents  the  following  state- 
ments :  "  Even  when  his  children  were  grown  up, 
the  father  might  imprison,  scourge,  send  them  bound 
to  work  in  the  country,  and  also  put  them  to  death 
by  any  punishment  he  pleased,  if  they  deserved  it. 
Hence,  a  father  is  called  a  domestic  judge  or  magis- 
trate, by  Seneca.  A  son  could  acquire  no  property 
but  by  his  father's  consent ;  and  what  he  did  thus 
acquire  was  called  his  peculiurn,  as  that  of  a  slave.* 
The  condition  of  a  son  was,  in  some  respects,  harder 
than  that  of  a  slave.  A  slave,  when  sold  once,  be- 
came free  ;  but  a  son,  not,  unless  sold  three  times. 
The  power  of  the  father  was  suspended  when  the 
son  was  promoted  to  any  public  office,  but  not  extin- 
guished. For  it  continued,  not  only  during  the  life 
of  the  children,  but  likewise  extended  to  grandchil- 
dren and  great-grandchildren.  None  of  them  became 
their  own  masters  (sui  juris),  till  the  death  of  their 
father  and  grandfather.  A  daughter,  by  marriage, 
passed  from  the  power  of  her  father  under  that  of 
her  husband. "t 

In  the  emancipation  of  a  son  from  the  authority 
of  his  father,  the  law  prescribed  a  tedious  process, 
which  the  parties  were  obliged  to  observe.     In  the 

*  Livy,  II.  41. 
,  f  Roman  Antiquities,  50,  51.     N.  Y.     1826. 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  395 


presence  of  witnesses,  before  the  tribunal  of  a  magis- 
trate, the  father  gave  over  his  son  to  the  purchaser, 
adding  these  words,  '' Mancupo  tibi  hum  filium  qui 
7neus  est.''  "  But  as,  by  the  principles  of  the  Roman 
law,  a  sou,  after  being  manumitted  once  and  again, 
fell  back  into  the  power  of  his  father,  the  imaginary 
sale  was  thrice  to  be  repeated,  either  on  the  same 
day  and  before  the  same  witnesses,  or  on  different 
days  and  before  different  witnesses  ;  and  then  the 
purchaser,  instead  of  manumitting  him,  which  would 
have  conferred  Si  jus  pair onatih  on  himself,  sold  him 
back  to  the  natural  father,  who  immediately  manu- 
mitted him  by  the  same  formalities  as  a  slave. 
Thus  the  son  became  his  own  master.  Sui  juris 
/actus  est.— Livy,  YII.  16.  In  emancipating  a  daugh- 
ter or  grandchildren,  the  same  formalities  were 
used,  but  only  once  ;  they  were  not  thrice  re- 
peated, as  in  emancipating  a  son.  Unica  mancipatio 
sufficiebatJ' 

Tedious  as  these  processes  seem,  they  were  rigidly 
observed  ;  and  there  was  very  little  abatement  of 
them  until  the  reign  of  Justinian,  five  centuries  after 
Christ.  These  laws  were  not  a  dead  letter  :  the 
incidental  allusions  to  paternal  authority  indicate 
that  the  severest  executions  of  them  were  familiar 
to  the  minds  of  the  people.  Thus  Sallust,  in  his 
history  of  Cataline's  conspiracy  (§  40),  says,  "A 
Fulvius,  son  of  a  senator,  was  taken  on  the  road, 
brought  back  to  the  city,  and  put  to  death  by  his 
father's  orders."  In  his  history  of  the  Decline  and 
Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire,  Gibbon  remarks,  "  The 
exclusive,  absolute,  and  perpetual  dominion  of  the 


396  Christianity  and  Slavery. 


father  over  his  children,  is  peculiar  to  the  Roman 
jurisprudence,  and  seems  to  be  coeval  with  the  foun- 
dation of  the  city.  The  paternal  power  was  insti- 
tuted or  confirmed  by  Romulus  himself ;  and,  after 
the  practice  of  three  centuries,  it  was  inscribed  on 
the  fourth  table  of  the  Decemvirs.  In  the  forum, 
the  senate,  or  the  camp,  the  adult  son  of  a  Roman 
citizen  enjoyed  the  public  and  private  rights  of  a 
PERSON  :  in  his  father's  house,  he  was  a  mere  thing  ; 
confounded  by  the  laws  with  the  moveables,  the 
cattle,  and  the  slaves,  whom  the  capricious  master 
might  alienate  or  destroy  without  being  responsible 
to  an  earthly  tribunal.  The  hand  which  bestowed 
the  daily  sustenance  might  resume  the  voluntary 
gift ;  and  whatever  was  acquired  by  the  labor  or 
fortune  of  the  son,  was  immediately  lost  in  the  prop- 
erty of  the  father.  At  the  call  of  indigence  or  ava- 
rice, the  master  of  a  family  could  dispose  of  his  chil- 
dren or  his  slaves.  According  to  his  discretion,  a 
father  might  chastise  the  real  or  imaginary  faults 
of  his  children  by  stripes,  by  imprisonment,  by  exile, 
by  sending  them  to  the  country  to  work  in  chains 
among  the  meanest  of  his  servants.  The  majesty 
of  a  parent  was  armed  with  the  power  of  life  and 
death  ;  and  the  example  of  such  bloody  executions 
which  were  sometimes  praised  and  never  punished, 
may  be  traced  in  the  annals  of  Rome  beyond  the 
times  of  Pompey  and  Augustus.  Without  fear, 
though  not  without  danger  of  abuse,  the  Roman 
legislators  had  reposed  an  unbounded  confidence  in 
the  sentiments  of  paternal  love  ;  and  the  oppression 
was  tempered  by  the  assurance,  that  each  generation 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  397 

must  succeed  in  its  turn  to  the  awful  dignity  of 
parent  and  master."* 

But  now,  to  all  this  antichristian  power  conferred 
by  the  Roman  law  on  the  parent,  there  is  not  the 
slightest  allusion  in  the  epistles.  Is  the  Christian 
father  there  commanded  not  to  kill  his  son,  as  he 
had  the  legal  right  to  do  ?  Is  he  told  not  to  sell 
him  ?  Is  he  told  not  to  treat  him  as  a  slave  ?  Is 
he  urged  to  manumit  him?  No — nothing  of  this. 
Let  us  ask,  in  the  strain  of  the  writers  on  slavery, 
whence  this  profound  silence  on  these  important 
points  of  Christian  ethics,  which  must  have  attracted 
the  notice  of  the  apostles  ?  Is  it  not  clear  as  the 
liglit,  that  this  deeply-rooted  and  organized  evil  of 
filial  slavery  arising  from  Pagan  ideas  and  usages, 
the  apostles  thought  it  expedient  to  tolerate  awhile, 
but  to  inculcate  broad  principles  which  should  work 
like  leaven,  gradually  extirpate  it,  and  so,  in  the 
process  of  time,  raise  the  members  of  the  Christian 
family  to  that  dignity  of  freedom,  that  security  of 
life,  and  to  that  equality  of  privileges,  which  were 
conferred  by  the  Jewish  law  before  the  coming  of 
Messiah  ?  Such  is  the  apology  to  be.  made  for  the 
apostles  in  this  case,  according  to  the  reasonings 
and  concessions  against  which  we  speak.  And  is 
this  the  best  defence  which  we,  as  Christians,  can 
urge  for  the  silence  of  Paul,  and  Peter,  and  John, 
respecting  these  things  ?     If  so,  well  may  they  pray 


*  Milman's  Gibbou,  III.  169.  Gibbon  quotes  the  Justinian  code, 
saying,  NuUi  enim  alii  sunt  homines,  qui  talcm  in  liberos  habeant 
potestatem  qualem  nos  haberaua. 


398  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

from  their  celestial  exaltation,  Lord,  save  us  from 
our  friends — shield  thou  our  apostolic  character 
from  the  imputations  of  those  who  are  called  by  thy 
name  and  acknowledge  our  authority. 

Thanks  be  unto  God,  we  are  not  reduced  to  the 
necessity  of  acquiescing  in  any  such  apologies  or 
explanations  touching  the  silence  of  the  apostles  on 
the  duty  of  setting  captives  or  children  free.  These 
evils  were  not  written  upon,  as  practical  matters,  to 
Christian  churches,  because,  under  "  the  law  of 
Christ,"  the  son  needed  no  emancipation.  When 
that  law  was  received  by  a  family,  the  son  was 
already  free.  The  father's  right  to  govern  him, 
during  his  minority,  arose  from  his  duty  to  guard 
him  in  years  of  weakness,  and  to  train  him  up 
amidst  the  season  of  youth,  ignorance,  and  inexpe- 
rience, "  in  the  way  he  should  go,"'  so  that,  when 
old,  he  would  not  depart  from  it.  Instead,  there- 
fore, of  an  apostle's  writing  to  Christian  churches 
against  such  horrible  evils  as  the  Roman  law  entailed 
on  the  relation  of  father  and  son,  or  on  the  right  of 
the  son  to  liberty,  or  on  the  duty  of  emancipation,  it 
was  enough,  simply  to  say,  "  Fathers,  provoke  not 
your  children  to  wrath,  but  bring  them  up  in  the 
nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord.  Children, 
obey  your  parents  in  the  Lord,  for  this  right. 
Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother,  which  is  the  first 
command  with  promise.""  As  in  the  spiritual  king- 
dom of  Christ,  where  his  religion  had  sway,  Christi- 
anity  did   not,   for   a   moment,    tolerate   the   filial 

*  Ephesians,  vi.,  1-3 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  399 

slavery  of  Rome,  so  neither  did  it  tolerate  her 
servile  slavery.  The  silence  of  the  apostles  as  to 
emancipation  has  the  very  same  relation  to  the  one 
kind  of  servitude  as  to  the  other  ;  and  the  idea  of 
tolerating  slavery,  as  a  system,  was  not  entertained 
by  Christians  in  early  times,  until  it  appeared  in 
company  with  the  most  abominable  and  fatal  cor- 
ruptions. 

Not  only  in  the  relation  of  the  child  to  the  father, 
but  also  in  that  of  the  wife  to  the  husband,  did  the 
Roman  law  establish  a  power  adverse  to  the  precepts 
and  the  spirit  of  Christianity.  In  case  of  any  offence 
whatever,  the  husband  was  the  supreme  judge,  in- 
vested with  authority  to  acquit  her  or  to  condemn 
her  to  death.  The  law  placed  her  like  a  slave  at 
his  feet,  and  her  life  hung  on  his  decree.  Observe 
the  testimony  of  Dionysius  Halicarnassensis  on  this 
point : — "  The  law  -obliged  the  married  women,  as 
having  no  other  refuge,  to  conform  themselves  en- 
tirely to  the  temper  of  their  husbands. — But  if  she 
committed  any  fault,  the  injured  person  was  her 
judge,  and  determined  the  degree  of  her  punishment. 
In  case  of  adultery,  or  where  it  was  found  she  had 
drunk  wine  (which  the  Greeks  would  look  upon  as 
the  least  of  all  crimes),  her  relations,  together  with 
her  husband,  were  appointed  her  judges,  who  were 
allowed  by  Romulus  to  punish  both  these  crimes 
with  death."^  This  law,  of  so  ancient  date,  con- 
tinued to  be  operative  under  the  empire.  Tacitus 
mentions  a  case  which  occurred  at  Rome,  in  the  year 

*  Dionys.  Hal.  ii.  25. 


400  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

57,  in  the  reign  of  Nero  : — "  Pomponia  Grjecina,  a 
woman  of  illustrious  birth,  and  the  wife  of  Plautius, 
who,  on  his  return  from  Britain,  entered  the  city 
with  the  pomp  of  an  ovation,  was  accused  of  embrac- 
ing a  foreign  superstition.  The  matter  was  referred 
to  the  jurisdiction  of  her  husband.  Plautius,  in  con- 
forinity  to  ancient  usage,  called  together  a  number 
of  her  relations,  and  in  their  presence  sat  in  jjidg- 
ment  on  the  conduct  of  his  wife.^  It  has  often  been 
said,  to  the  honor  of  Roman  chastity,  that  for  more 
than  five  centuries  not  an  instance  of  divorce  tran- 
spired in  Rome  ;  but  it  is  very  evident  that  this  fact 
is  to  be  accounted  for,  rather  from  the  rigor  of  the 
law,  which  bound  the  destiny  of  the  wife  to  that  of 
her  husband,  than-  from  the  superior  virtue  of  the 
people.  There  was  little  occasion  for  a  formal 
divorce  where  a  husband  exercised  the  authority  of 
an  absolute  despot,  and  where  an-ofi'ending  wife  had 
no  right  of  appeal  from  his  decision  to  that  of  a  civil 
tribunal. 

Another  feature  of  the  marriage  relation,  under 
the  Roman  government,  deserves  attention  here. 
Between  a  citizen  and  a  foreigner  there  could  be  no 
legal  marriage,t  and  the  offspring  of  such  a  union 
were  deemed  illegitimate.  They  were  called  Hy- 
bridae  or  Mongrels,  and  their  condition  was  very 
little  better  than  that  of  slaves.  Livy  mentions 
that  when  the  Campanians  were  forced  to  go  to 
Rome  to  pay  their  taxes,  they  offered  a  petition  that 

*  Annal.  xiii.  32. 

f  Non  erat  cum  extenio  connubium,     Senec.  Ben.  iv.  35. 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  401 

the  children,  whom  they  had  by  Roman  wives,  might 
be  treated  as  legitimate,  and  made  their  lawful  lieirs."^ 
Indeed,  this  sort  of  union  was  not  dignified  by  the 
name  of  marriage,  any  more  than  was  a  union 
between  slaves  ;  for  in  both  cases  it  was  stigmatized 
by  the  same  degrading  appellation. f  Of  this  firmly 
established  law  there  was-  no  change  until  the  days 
of  the  Emperor  Caracalla.  During  more  than  two 
centuries  of  the  Christian  era,  the  children  who  may 
have  sprung  from  the  marriage  of  a  Roman  citizen 
and  a  Jew,  or  a  Greek,  were  denied  the  rights  and 
honors'  of  a  legitimate  birth.  Paul  himself,  who 
was  a  Roman  citizen,  declared  that  he  had  a  right 
to  "  lead  about  a  wife  "  with  him  ;  but  had  he  or 
any  one  of  the  Roman  converts  been  pleased  to 
marry  a  Galatian  or  a  Syrian  Christian,  the  law 
would,  as  far  as  concerned  civil  rights,  have  placed 
the  offspring  of  such  a  union  on  a  level  with  the 
children  of  a  base  and  criminal  connection. 

Now,  when  we  consider  that  the  marriage  relation 
lies  at  the  basis  of  all  organized  and  Christianized 
society,  it  may  be  well  to  inquire  how  it  is,  that  in 
the  epistles  of  Paul,  all  of  which  were  addressed  to 
persons  living  under  the  Roman  empire,  no  care  is 
taken  to  guard  the  churches  against  the  specific  evils 
of  this  Pagan  legislation,  which,  in  the  eyes  of  mul- 
titudes, had  been  embalmed  and  hallowed  by  time  ; 


*  Livy,  xxxviii.  36. 

f  Connubium  est  matrimoniiim  inter  cives ;  inter  servos  aiitem, 
aut  inter  civiuni  et  peregrinfe  conditionis  hominera,  aut  servilis,  non 
est  connubium  scd  contubernimn.     Boeth.  in  Cic.  Top.  4. 


402  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

had  been  blended  with  the  very  elements  of  domestic 
and  social  life  ;  had  been  sustained  in  every  age  by 
the  most  illustrious  examples,  and  had  interwoven 
itself  with  the  earliest  remembrances  and  associa- 
tions of  the  civilized  world,  touching  human  rights, 
the  fitness  of  things,  and  the  moral  order  of  the  uni- 
verse. Strange  as  it  may  seem  to  some,  no  husband, 
in  all  the  realm  of  the  Csesars,  is  told  that  his  wife 
had  been  raised  by  Christianity  above  the  level  of 
her  condition  under  the  Roman  law.  No  one  is  told 
that  the  domestic  despotism,  on  which  Roman  society 
was  based,  was  an  abomination  in  the  sight  of  heaven, 
and  that  it  was  a  contravention  of  the  original  law 
of  Paradise,  which  placed  the  man  and  the  woman 
on  the  ground  of  a  true  moral  equality.  No  Roman 
citizen  is  forbidden  to  scourge  his  wife  for  drinking 
wine  !  Even  her  life  is  left  at  his  mercy  ;  and  in  all 
the  New  Testament  there  is  not  issued  a  single  com- 
mand forbidding  a  Christian  man  to  kill  his  wife  for 
any  fault  which  might  render  her,  in  his  judgment, 
worthy  of  death !  And  yet  Christianity  arose  and 
spread  in  a  part  of  the  earth  where  it  found  the 
exercise  of  such  power  not  only  common,  but  where 
that  power  was  embodied  in  forms  of  law,  enthroned 
in  the  palace,  sustained  in  the  prsetorium,  and  re- 
vered by  public  opinion.  What  now  shall  we  infer 
from  the  silence  of  the  sacred  scripture  on  these 
points  ?  The  domestic  relations  themselves  are  fully 
recognized,  moral  precepts  are  given  to  all  who  are 
united  in  them  ;  but  why  are  these  enormous  evils, 
which  affected  so  deeply  the  condition  of  innumera- 
ble wives  and  children,  left  untouched  ?     Is  it  that 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  40B 

apostolic  Christianity,  with  a  wisdom  and  prudence 
worthy  of  all  imitation,  saw  fit  to  tolerate  all  these 
things,  being  content  to  teach  those  broad  and 
mighty  principles  which,  working  gradually  at  the 
core  of  society,  would  achieve  its  regeneration,  after 
a  series  of  ages,  and  thus,  on  grounds  of  expediency, 
withheld  from  its  own  disciples  the  plain  truth  of 
God  with  a  view  to  ultimate  effect  ?  Certainly  ; 
according  to  the  concessions  of  those  who  have  con- 
troverted Dr.  Fuller,  this  must  be  the  explanation  ; 
but,  according  to  the  reasonings  of  Dr.  Fuller  him- 
self, Christianity  must  have  intended  to  sanction  the 
legal  powers  which  these  relations  had  so  long  con- 
ferred, and  only  to  guard  against  their  abuse !  But 
will  any  man  who  has  become  converted  to  Christi- 
anity by  reading  the  gospels,  by  listening  to  Christ's 
own  discourses,  and  by  opening  his  soul  to  their 
spirit,  remain  calmly  satisfied  with  either  of  these 
positions  ?  By  no  means.  He  will  recoil  equally 
from  them  both.  Indeed,  Dr.  Fuller,  in  his  reply  to 
Dr.  Wayland's  explanation  on  this  point,  writes  like 
a  man  who  could  not  avoid  despising  the  apostles 
themselves  if  they  had  held  back  the  truth  in  that 
way  ;  and  with  the  most  of  his  earnest  remonstrance 
we  sympathize  to  the  whole  extent  of  our  capacity 
of  feeling.  With  truth  and  justness  does  he  say, 
"  The  apostles  took  heaven  to  witness  that  they  had 
kept  back  nothing  f  and  in  addressing,  not  only 
the  people,  but  the  pastors,  who  were  to  teach  the 
people,  and  bequeath  their  ministry  to  their  succes- 
sors, they  asserted  their  purity  from  the  blood  of 
all  men,  because  they  "  had  not  shunned  to  declare 


404  Christianity  and  Slavery. 


the  whole  counsel  of  God."  Yet  they  had  shunned 
even  to  hint  to  masters  that  they  were  living  in  a 
"  sin  of  appalling  magnitude,"  and  had  kept  back 
truth,  which,  if  you  are  right,  was  of  tremendous 
importance. 

These  words  must  be  felt  forcibly  by  those  to 
whom  they  are  addressed  ;  but  we  thank  God  that 
the  New  Tessament  presents  no  such  difficulty  as 
that  which  suggested  this  appeal  on  behalf  of  the 
apostles.  The  reason  why  those  faithful  guides  did 
not  hint  to  masters  that  they  were  living  in  "  a  sin 
of  appalling  magnitude,"  was  not  that  slaveholding 
had  been  sanctified,  but  simply  because  these  per- 
sons, at  the  era  of  their  conversion  to  Christianity, 
had  entered  into  a  new  spiritual  kingdom,  and  inter- 
preted all  their  relations  and  duties  by  the  light  of 
its  heavenly  principles,  and  not  by  the  light  of  the 
Koman  law  or  any  other  human  code.  Their  souls 
had  risen  superior  to  the  Roman  law,  as  a  guide  to 
duty  or  a  rule  of  life,  as  truly  as  our  Christian  con- 
verts in  China  have  risen  above  the  law  of  "  the 
celestial  empire."  Christianity  had  not  yet-  become 
corrupted  ;  its  public  teachers  had  not  quite  yet 
begun  to  modify  its  oracles  so  as  to  suit  a  false 
philosophy,  to  harmonize  with  the  prevailing  ideas 
of  Roman  civilization,  and  so  to  turn  away  its  disci- 
ples "  from  the  simplicity  that  is  in  Christ."  These 
first  Christians  used  words  which  had  a  weight  of 
meaning  in  them,  when  they  spoke  of  their  moral 
isolation  from  society,  when  they  called  themselves 
"a  peculiar  people,"  the  subjects  of  a  "new  crea- 
tion," members  of  "  the  household  of  God,"  "  fellow- 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  405 

citizens  of  the  eommoii\Yealth  of  Israel/''^  and  said 
"  the  world  knoweth  us  not."  The  precepts  of 
Christ  had  taken  complete  possession  of  their  minds; 
had  not  only  transformed  their  theology,  but  their 
moral  characters,  and  their  social  relations.  In 
their  view,  one  sentence  of  Christ's  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  possessed  more  moral  worth  and  lively  effi- 
cacy, than  all  the  lectures  of  the  philosophers,  and 
the  laws  of  the  twelve  tables  put  together.  Before 
they  took  the  vows  of  their  profession,  they  had 
"  counted  the  cost,"  and  were  ready  to  suffer  the  loss 
of  all  tilings.  As  much  as  in  them  lay,  they  obeyed 
the  civil  law  ;  but  in  their  lives  they  "  surpassed  the 
laws."  So  entirely  did  the  word  of  Christ  rule 
them,  that  they  would  not  allow  the  civil  law  to 
arbitrate  at  all  on  matters  which  pertained  to  their 
own  mutual  relations.  "  Dare  any  of  you,"  says  the 
apostle  to  some  who  needed  special  instruction, — 
"  dare  any  of  you,  having  a  matter  against  another, 
to  go  to  law -before  the  unjust,  and  not  before  the 
saints  ?"t  Far  from  availing  themselves  of  any 
power  granted  by  the  civil  law  to  retain  their 
brethren  in  bondage,  their  religion  forbade  them  to 
refer  to  that  law  any  question  respecting  their  duties 
to  each  other. 

Now  in  reading  what  is  written  to  societies  so 
constituted,  it  is  a  great  error  to  infer  that  the 
apostles  either  sanctioned  or  tolerated  any  relation 
between  man  and  man  as  established  by  the  Roman 
law,  because  we  do  not  find  in  their  epistles  a  par- 
ticular denunciation  of  it. 

*  Ephes.  ii.  passim.  f  1  Cor.  vL  1. 


406  Christianity  and  Slavery. 


In  regard  to  any  such  relation  which  may  be  in 
question,  the  main  thing  to  be  ascertained  is  this  : 
How  do  the  precepts  of  Christ  bear  upon  it  ?  These 
the  early  churches  had  acknowledged  as  their  guide  ; 
to  these  they  had  vowed  allegiance.  Whatever  con- 
flicted with  these,  they  had  sworn  to  abandon,  in  the 
very  act  of  their  baptism,  by  which  they  had  owned 
the  sovereignty  of  the  Messiah,  in  whose  kingdom 
there  was  no  place  found  for  those  distinctions  of 
privilege,  which,  according  to  the  Roman  law,  per- 
tained to  rank,  sex,  birth,  blood,  and  nationality  : 
''  For,"  says  the  apostle,  '*  as  many  of  you  as  have 
been  baptized  into  Christ,  have  put  on  Christ ; 
there  is  neither  Jew  nor  Greek — there  is  neither 
bond  nor  free — there  is  neither  male  nor  female  ; 
FOR  YE  are  all  one  IN  Christ  Jesus. ""^  That  legis- 
lation which  had  raised  one  class  above  another,  on 
the  ground  of  those  distinctions  which  are  here 
named,  primitive  Christianity  thus  heartily  re- 
nounced, as  being  incompatible  with  the  law  of 
Christ. 

In  order  to  feel  the  force  of  this  statement,  let  any 
one  fairly  consider  what  a  weight  of  argument  the 
phrase  which  we-have  just  repeated,  carried  with  it 
to  the  ear  of  a  primitive  Christian.  "  The  law  op 
Christ  !"  In  the  apostolic  age  that  was  no  mere 
abstraction.  It  was  the  Law  of  laws.  Its  authority 
was  imperial.  Its  decision  was  ultimate.  *  In  ad- 
dressing the  church  of  Galatia,  Paul  said,  "  Bear  ye 
one   another's   burdens,   and   so   fulfil   the  law   of 

*  Galatians,  iii.  27,  28. 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  407 

Christ  ;'"*  thus  appealing  to  it,  without  citing  the 
words  of  any  precept,  he  implied  that  it  was  well 
understood.  When  it  was  referred  to  in  this  way, 
all  knew  that  the  law  of  benevolence — the  law  of 
mutual  love — was  intended,  by  way  of  eminence. 
The  apostle  James  alludes  to  it  in  a  similar  manner, 
in  a  passage  which  contains  a  warning  against  dis- 
courteous treatment  of  the  poor  :  "  If  ye  fulfil  '  the 
royal  law '  according  to  the  scripture,  thou  shalt  love 
thy  neighbor  as  thyself,  ye  do  well  ;  but  if  ye  have 
respect  to  persons,  ye  commit  sin,  and  are  convicted 
of  the  law  as  transgressors. "t  Our  Lord  had  laid  it 
■  down,  in  his  early  teachings,  among  the  first  princi- 
ples of  liis  religion  :  "  All  things  whatsoever  ye 
vrould  that  meii  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to 
them  ;  for  this  is  the  law  and  the  prophets. "f  The 
equal  love  of  our  neighbor  be  connected  with  su- 
preme love  to  God,  and  on  these  two  commandments 
he  declared  that  all  true  religion  depends. §  But 
when  he  proceeds  to  expound  this  law  respecting 
our  neighbor,  what  does  he  teach  as  to  its  bearing 
and  extent  ?  Did  he  imply  that  it  was  to  be  re- 
stricted to  a  particular  nation,  or  rank,  or  color,  or 
proximity  of  place  ?  The  majority  of  his  audiences, 
we  know,  did  limit  it  by  their  sectional  prejudices, 
and  national  antipathies  ;  but  in  the  parable  of  the 
good  Samaritan,  he  taught  them  that  the  precept 
erases  these  bounds,  enjoins  love  to  man  as  man,  our 
fellow-creature  and  our  brother,  and  bids  us  to  do 


*  Galatians,  vi.  2.  f  James,  ii.  8,  9. 

X  Matthew,  vii.  12.  §  Matthew  xxii.  37-40. 


408  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

good  to  all  men  as  we  have  ;> importunity.  The  Priest 
and  the  Levite  of  his  day,  \v;;o  treated  such  an  inter- 
pretation with  contempt,  he  pictures  to  our  view  in 
all  their  native  deformity.  In  addition  to  this  "  law 
of  love,  gave  another  especially  to  his  disciples,  en- 
forced by  a  motive  drawn  from  his  peculiar  relation 
to  them,  "  A  new  commandment  I  give  unto  you,  that 
ye  love  one  another  ;  even  as  I  have  loved  you,  that 
ye  also  love  another."  However  a  refined  and  art- 
ful criticism  may  treat  such  precepts  in  these  days, 
they  were  understood  by  the  early  Christians  in 
their  plain  sense,  and  interpreted  according  to  ''  the 
simplicity  that  is  in  Christ."  A  community  govern- 
ed by  such  laws  as  these,  could  never  make  a  man 
serve  as  a  slave,  nor  would  it  be  possible  for  one  of 
them  to  hold  his  Christian  brother  in  bondage 
against  his  will  for  a  single  hour. 

Moreover,  it  may  be  well  to  observe,  in  this  con- 
nection, that  the  distinction  on  which  the  temporary 
slavery  of  Judea  had  been  founded  by  the  Mosaic 
code  was  entirely  abolished  by  Christianity  :  we 
mean  the  distinction  between  Jews  and  Heathen. 
The  breaking  down  of  this  "  middle  wall  of  parti- 
tion "  was  the  great  glory  of  the  new  dispensation. 
We  know  how  deeply  "  the  leading  men  "  of  our 
Saviour's  generation  were  offended  with  his  teach- 
ing on  this  point  ;  how  bitterly  Jewish  pride  must 
have  scowled  upon  him,  when  he  said,  in  allusion  to 
a  Gentile's  faith,  "Many  shall ^come  from  the  east 
and  west,  and  shall  sit  down  with  Abraham,  and 
Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ;  but  the 
children  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  cast  out  into  outer 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  409 

darkness."  The  preaching  of  this  doctrine  was  a 
bold  feature  in  the  ministry  of  the  apostles  ;  and  the 
mere  mention  of  it,  by  one  of  them,  caused  a  crowd 
in  Jerusalem  to  give  vent  to  their  anger  by  casting 
dust  into  the  air,  and  by  crying  aloud,  "  Away  with 
such  a  fellow  from  the  earth,  for  it  is  not  fit  that  he 
should  live."^  Yet  these  martyrs  to  truth  were 
faithful  to  their  trust  and  conquered  by  "  the  word 
of  their  testimony."  They  were  true  reformers.  In 
founding  a  new  community,  they  laid,  broadly  and 
plainly,  the  basis  on  which  it  was  to  rest.  And  as 
the  temporary  structure  of  Mosaic  slavery  was  made 
to  depend  on  a  distinction  which  it  was  the  design 
of  Christianity  to  abolish  at  the  very  outset,  we  can 
easily  imagine  how  abhorrent  from  the  convictions 
and  sentiments  of  the  first  disciples  must  have  been 
the  idea  of  a  slave-system  in  the  Christian  church. 


SECTION  VI. 

THE   EPISTLES   OP   PAUL   CONFIRM  THIS  POSITION. 

In  exact  accordance  with  these  views,  is  the  style 
and  manner  of  apostolic  address  in  the  Epistles  of 
the  New  Testament.  The  terms  used  to  designate 
the  relation  of  master  and  servant  are  not  those 
which  imply  man's  ownership  of  man  ;  and  from  the 
terms  themselves,  the  advocate  of  slavery  can  prove 
nothing,  because  the  same  and  corresponding  terms 

*  Acts,  xxii,  22. 


410  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

are  used  in  lands  where  slavery  does  not  exist.  The 
exact  import  of  the  term  will  vary  according  to  the 
law  by  which  you  determine  the  condition  of  a  dou- 
los,  or  servant :  just  as  it  is  now  in  this  land  ;  in 
Carolina  a  servant  means  a  slave,  and  in  New  Eng- 
land, it  means  a  freeman  voluntarily  hired.  But  how 
entirely  Christianity  modified  the  relation,  may  be 
Been  by  consulting  the  direction  which  Paul  gave  to 
Timothy,  respecting  the  discharge  of  his  duty  as  a 
Christian  teacher.  It  occurs  in  the  sixth  chapter 
of  the  first  Epistle,  the  first  and  second  verses.  Here 
no  advice  is  given  to  the  young  pastor  as  to  his  man- 
ner of  addressing  masters  :  it  relates  to  servants 
only.  And  of  servants,  two  classes  are  contemplat- 
ed ;  first,  those  who  were  Christian  servants  of  hea- 
then masters,  are  considered.  This  class  is  desig- 
nated by  being  "  under  the  yoke."  "  Let  as  many 
servants  as  are  under  the  yoke  count  their  own  mas- 
ters worthy  of  all  honor,  that  the  name  of  God  and 
his  doctrine  be  not  blasphemed."  This,  as  Christians, 
they  were  urged  to  do,  even  though  they  might  be 
subject  to  the  worst  oppression,  in  agreement  with 
the  address  of  Peter  to  the  same  class  ;  "  for  this  is 
thankworthy,  if  a  man  for  conscience  toward  God 
endure  grief,  suffering  wrongfully.''  A  heathen  mas- 
ter, interpreting  the  rights  of  a  servant  by  the  light 
of  the  Roman  law,  would  be  very  likely  to  commit 
acts  of  gross  injustice  ;  but  the  precept  enjoining  a 
meek  endurance  of  this  wrong,  for  Christ's  sake,  can, 
of  course,  furnish  no  sanction  to  the  master's  con- 
tinuance of  it.  But  now,  in  this  epistle  to  Timothy, 
Paul  proceeds,  in  the  next  sentence,  to  speak  of  a 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  411 


different  class  of  cases  ;  those  in  which  both  the  par- 
ties were  Christians.  And  here  it  is  quite  remark- 
able, that,  instead  of  directing  masters  to  treat  their 
servants  kindly,  he  calls  upon  servants  themselves 
to  beware  lest  they  should  despise  their  masters  ! 
His  words  are,  "  And  they  that  have  believing  mas- 
ters, let  them  not  despise  them,  because  they  are 
brethren  ;  but  rather  do  them  service  because  they 
are  faithful  and  beloved,  partakers  of  the  benefit.'^ 
Who  does  not  see  that  this  exhortation  arose  from 
the  fact,  that,  when  both  the  parties  had  come  under 
the  law  of  Christ,  Christianity  had  changed  the  re- 
lation in  which  they  stood— had  enfranchised  the 
slave — had  made  him  one  of  the  "  brethren  " — had 
invested  him  with  a  new  dignity  and  new  rights  ; 
so  that  now,  instead  of  the  m'aster  being  under  a 
new  temptation  to  treat  the  servant  wrongfully, 
there  was  greater  danger  lest  the  servant  should 
abuse  his  elevation,  should  abandon  the  master's  ser- 
vice, or  treat  him  with  contempt  ? 

Evidently,  the  style,  the  letter,  and  the  spirit  of 
these  directions  to  Timothy,  indicate  a  fundamental 
change  which  Christianity  had  wrought  in  the  rela- 
tion of  these  two  classes  of  persons,  where  both  had 
come  "  under  the  law "  of  the  new  dispensation. 
They  had  now  risen  to  that  high  condition  described , 
in  the  words  of  their  common  Lord,  "  One  is  your 
Master,  even  Christ,  and  all  ye  are  brethren." 
Violence,  or  involuntary  subjection  to  bondage,  was 
incompatible  with  such  a  change  ;  and  now  the 
apostle  was  chiefly  anxious  that  the  parties  should 
not  separate  from  each  other,  but  by  continuing  to- 


412  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

gether  on  friendly  terms,  and,  in  the  discharge  of 
mutual  duties,  should  prove  to  the  world  that  the 
law  of  Christian  love  is  a  better  cement  for  society 
than  the  law  of  force.  No  class  of  persons  had  it  in 
their  power  to  afford  a  brighter  demonstration  of 
this,  than  that  of  enfranchised  servants.  If  they 
availed  themselves  of  their  acknowledged  rights  to 
forsake  their  old  masters,  the  new  religion  would  be 
dishonored ;  if  they  remained,  and  yielded  faithful 
service  from  a  principle  of  love  and  of  religious  ob- 
ligation, Christianity  would,  through  them,  reveal 
its  moral  and  conservative  tendency,  and  would  be 
sure  to  gain  new  victories.  The  appeal  which  was 
made  therefore  to  Christian  servants  on  this  behalf, 
has  a  most  important  bearing,  and  proves  alike  that 
they  had  all  "  been  called  unto  liberty,"  and  that  it 
was  expected  that  the  spirit  of  their  religion  would 
dispose  them  not  to  "  use  their  liberty  for  an  occa- 
sion to  the  flesh. ''^  If  any  one  deem  tho  case  to  be 
otherwise,  just  let  him  imagine  how  preposterous 
it  would  seem  for  any  grave  and  reverend  bishop  of 
our  day,  or  for  any  public  body  in  the  country,  to 
send  a  message  to  the  young  pastors  of  South  Caro- 
lina, urging  them  to  teach  the  slaves  of  Christian 
planters  "  not  to  despise  their  masters !"  Surely, 
such  a  message  would  sound  strangely  to  the  plant- 
ers themselves  ;  and  if  it  were  carried  into  effect  by 
some  obedient  Timothy,  they  would  see  "  the  fool- 
ishness of  preaching,'*'  in  a  new  point  of  light. 

The  same  idea  of  a  change  in  the  relations  of  these 

*  Galatiaiis,  v.  13. 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  413 

two  classes  accomplished  by  Christianity,  is  implied 
and  indicated  by  Paul's  address  to  those  who  be- 
longed to  the  church  of  Ephesus.*  There  he  first 
addresses  servants,  and  urges  them  to  be  exemplary 
in  rendering  obedience  to  their  masters,  for  the  sake 
of  honoring  the  cause  of  Christianity — "  as  the  ser- 
vants of  Christ,  doing  the  will  of  God  from  the 
heart,  with  good  will  doing  service  to  the  Lord,  and 
NOT  TO  MEN."  Undoubtedly,  this  precept  was  in- 
tended to  be  as  unlimited  as  that  given  by  Peter  (1 
Peter  ii.  19,)  that  is,  to  cases  wherein  the  servant 
was  called  to  "  endure  grief,  for  conscience  toward 
God,  suffering  wrongfully.''^  However  forward  or 
perverse  {a-'iohog)  the  master  might  be,  however  un- 
just his  demands,  the  Christian  servant  was  sum- 
moned to  the  exercise  of  patience  and  submission,  in 
imitation  of  Christ,  who,  "  when  he  suffered,  threat- 
ened not,  but  committed  himself  to  Him  that  judgeth 
righteously."  Of  course,  Peter  did  not  mean  to 
sanction  the  wrong  ;  and  so,  too,  in  this  exhortation 
of  Paul  to  the  Ephesians,  he  meant  to  urge  the  Chris- 
tian servant  to  bear  wrong  meekly,  without  giving 
a  sanction  to  the  wrong  itself.  Even  if  he  were  sub- 
jected to  the  worst  of  heathen  masters,  the  apostle 
wished  him  to  cultivate  all  fidelity  in  his  service, 
not  on  the  ground  of  right  or  justice,  but  because 
God  would  reward  his  submission  to  injustice,  if  it 
were  exercised  in  order  to  promote  the  honor  and 
triumphs  of  religion.  The  specific  motive  by  which 
the  Christian  servant  is  excited  to  do  this,  is  thus 

*  Eph.  vi  6-9. 


414  Cheistianity  and  Slavery. 

expressed  :  "  With  good  will  doing  service  to  the 
Lord,  and  not  to  men  ;  knowing  that  whatsoever 
good  thing  any  man  doeth,  the  same  shall  he  receive 
of  the  Lord,  whether  he  be  bond  or  free." 

But  when,  in  the  next  sentence,  Paul  makes  a  tran- 
sition, and  addresses  himself  to  masters  who  were 
Christians,  his  words  are  few,  but  very  significant ; 
for,  while  he  tells  them  to  remember  that  tribunal 
where  there  is  no  respect  of  persons,  he  not  only 
forbids  their  using  force  in  the  government  of  their 
servants,  but  even  to  refrain  from  threatening  to  do 
so.  He  says,  "  Ye  masters,  do  the  same  things  unto 
them,  forbearing  threatening,  knowing  that  your 
Master  also  is  in  heaven  ;  neither  is  there  respect 
of  persons  with  Him."  In  the  Greek  text,  the  word 
anedrjv,  translated  threatening,  is  preceded  by  the  ar- 
ticle, and  has  a  more  specific  sense.  Dr.  Bloomfield 
has  evidently  bestowed  some  labor  on  the  passage,  in 
investigating  the  force  of  the  terms  ;  and  says  (in  his 
Notes  on  the  Greek  Testament,)  that  the  word,  with 
the  article  signifies,  the  punishments  awarded  by  the 
law."  This  being  the  case,  the  precept  given  by  the 
apostle  to  Ephesian  masters  was  a  direct  prohibition 
against  their  availing  themselves  of  power  conferred 
by  the  Roman  law  in  the  government  of  their  ser- 
vants. It  was  an  explicit  command  to  them  to  rise 
above  the  Roman  law  in  this  relation,  and  to  regu- 
late their  conduct  by  the  law  of  Christ,  at  w^hose 
judgment  seat  they  must  stand.  But  the  Roman 
law  being  set  aside,  where  could  the  Christian  mas- 
ter find  any  authority  in  the  law  of  Christ  for  hold- 
ing his  brethren  in  involuntary  servitude,  by  means 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  415 

of  violence  ?  Such  a  pretension  no  man  possessing 
ordinary  self-respect,  would  venture  to  set  up.  An 
intelligent  Southerner  has  aply  said,  that  the  slave 
system,  as  it  is,  may  be  defended  on  the  ground  of 
necessity,  just  as  war  is  defended,  in  some  cases, 
"  because  the  government  which  it  requires  is  no- 
thing more  nor  less  than-  a  prevalence  of  martial 
law."  This  witness  is  true  ;  but  how  a  state  of  mar- 
tial law  is  to  be  maintained  by  men  whose  religion 
forbids  them,  not  merely  to  remit  legal  punishments, 
but  even  to  ''  forbear  threatening,"  is  a  problem 
which  yet  remains  for  those  Christian  casuists 
who  claim'  the  blessed  Jesus  as  the  patron  of 
slavery. 

The  passage  in  the  epistle  to  the  Colossians  (iii. 
22-25  and  iv.  1)  presents  no  feature  of  the  case 
different  from  that  which  has  already  been  exhibited. 
Christian  servants  were  exhorted  to  cultivate  the 
domestic  vii'tues  on  those  same  grounds  which  have 
been  already  suggested.  They  are  bidden  to  rise 
superior  to  the  legal  relation,  and  to  yield  a  volun- 
tary service  for  the  sake  of  their  heavenly  Master, 
and  then  follow  these  spirit-stirring  words  :  "  And 
whatsoever  ye  do,  do  it  heartily  to  the  Lord,  and  not 
to  men,  knowing  that  of  the  Lord  ye  shall  receive 
the  reward  of  the  inheritance,  for  ye  serve  the  Lord 
Christ."  The  spirit  which  glows  in  the  address  is 
abhorrent,  from  the  idea  that  any  man  had  a  right- 
ful claim  to  hold  these  Christian  brethren  in  an  in- 
voluntary servitude. 

The  address  which  follows  to  the  masters  who 
had  become   Christians,  is,  in  this  case  also,  very 


416  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

brief.  It  simply  commands  them  to  be  just,  and  to 
remember  their  own  accountability.  "  Masters,  give 
unto  your  servants  that  which  is  just  and  equal, 
knowing  that  you  also  have  a  Master  in  heaven." 
There  is  not  a  free  country  in  the  world,  and  there 
never  will  be  one,  where  this  precept  will  not  be 
appropriate  and  needful. 

There  is,  in  the  New  Testament,  another  apostolic 
precept  which  relates  to  the  relative  duties  of  ser- 
vants. It  is  in  the  epistle  to  Titus  (ii.  9,  10)  ;  but 
its  letter  and  spirit  are  in  entire  accordance  with 
those  which  we  have  already  quoted.  This  class  of 
persons  are  urged  to  make  the  relation  iit  which  they 
stood  a  means  of  advancing  the  Christian  religion  ; 
to  do  this  by  so  living  as  to  "  adorn  the  doctrine  of 
God  our  Saviour  in  all  things."  In  that  age  of 
ardent  Christian  love,  the  promotion  of  the  cause  of 
Christ  was  deemed  a  counterpoise  to  every  evil.  No 
doubt,  many  of  these  servants  would  have  gladly 
continued  in  subjection  to  Pagans,  if  by  so  doing 
they  could  gain  new  trophies  for  their  Redeemer, 
just  as  it  has  been  known  that  Christians,  filled 
with  the  missionary  spirit,  have  actually  sold  them: 
selves  into  servitude,  in  order  to  extend  the  cause 
of  human  salvation.  At  a  period  glowing  with  this 
holy  martyr-spirit,  it  was  common  for  the  friends  of 
Christ  to  content  themselves  with  any  lot  in  which 
they  could  promote  his  glory,  and  easy  for  them  to 
respond  to  the  apostle's  appeal :  "  Art  thou  called, 
being  a  servant  ?  Care  not  for  it ;  but  if  thou 
mayest  be  free,  use  it  rather  :  for  he  that  is  called 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  417 

in  the  Lord,  being  a  servant,  is  the  Lord's  free- 
man."^ 

As  an  incidental  illustration  of  this  state  of  things 
which  we  have  been  contemplating,  it  would  be  dif- 
ficult to  imagine  anything  more  expressive  than  the 
letter  of  Paul  to  Philemon.  The  whole  of  it  is  in 
exact  accordance  with  that  condition  of  the  Chris- 
tian church,  which  distinguished  the  apostolic  age, 
when  it  consisted  of  scattered  communities  in  Pagan 
lands,  who  had  come  under  the  law  of  Christ,  and 
had  ceased  to  determine  their  duties  by  the  civil 
law,  or  to  avail  themselves  of  the  powers  which  it 
conferred,  to  promote  their  own  worldly  benefit  by 
acts  of  oppression.  Onesimus  had  been  the  slave  of 
Philemon.  He  had  fled  away  from  his  master,  and 
became  a  Christian,  under  the  ministry  of  Paul,  at 
Rome.  This  converted  slave  the  apostle  wished  to 
retain  at  Rome,  to  minister  unto  his  own  necessities; 
but  he  did  not  wish  to  do  it  without  the  concurrence 
of  his  beloved  Philemon,  his  "  fellow-laborer."  Ac- 
cording to  the  law  of  Rome,  Onesimus  was  still  the 
property  of  Philemon,  who,  as  a  citizen,  had  a  legal 
claim  upon  all  his  services  ;  but  the  letter  does  not 
intimate  the  slightest  probability  that  Philemon,  the 
Christian,  would  or  could  urge  that  claim.  So  far 
from  this,  it  is  distinctly  asserted  that  the  relation 
of  the  two  parties  had  been  essentially  changed. 
How  could  that  fact  be  more  clearly  expressed  than 
in  the  following  words  :  "  For  perhaps  he  therefore 
departed  for  a  season,  that  thou  shouldst  receive 

*  1  Cor.  vii.  21,  22. 


418  Christianitt  and  Slavery. 

him  forever  ;  not  now  as  a  servant,  but  above  a  servant, 
a  brother  beloved,  specially  to  me,  but  how  much  more 
unto  thee,  both  in  the  flesh  and  in  the  Lord  ?"^''  This 
latter  phrase  effectually  guards  the  interpretation  of 
the  letter  against  that  sophistry  which  concedes  that 
Onesimus  was  Philemon's  brother,  considered  as  a 
Christian,  but  refuses  to  extend  the  acknowledgment 
of  brotherhood  to  civil  relations  and  to  common  life. 
It  shows  that  the  apostle  did  not  speak  of  brother- 
hood in  some  refined,  ethereal,  spiritual  sense,  which 
had  no  practical  issues,  but  in  a  sense  which  would 
develop  itself  in  substantial  benefits  to  Onesimus  as 
a  man,  as  a  fellow-creature  possessing  a  kindred 
nature,  and  endowed  with  the  same  moral,  social, 
and  physical  sensibilities  as  was  Philemon  himself. 
Certainly  there  need  be  no  difficulty  in  admitting 
the  fact  of  so  great  a  change,  when  we  see  that 
Paul  identifies  the  happiness  and  interests  of  Onesi- 
mus with  his  own,  and  says  to  his  former  master  : 
"  If  thou  count  me  as  a  partner,  receive  him  as  my- 
self." 

Only  a  single  observation  further,  on  this  letter, 
is  necessary  here  ;  which  is,  that  the  object  of  Paul's 
writing  it,  was  not  to  beg  for  the  liberty  of  Onesi- 
mus, but  to  perform  an  act  of  friendship  towards 
Philemon  ;  to  awaken  in  his  heart  a  sympathetic  joy 
over  the  conversion  of  his  lost  servant ;  and  to  aflord 
him  an  opportunity  to  do  his  own  duty  in  the  case, 
freely  and  cheerfully.  The  first  impulse  of  the  apos- 
tle's mind  was  to  retain  Onesimus,  without  sending 

*  Verses  15,  16. 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  419 

him  back  at  all ;  but  he  concluded  that  it  would  be 
most  satisfactory,  on  the  whole,  to  place  it  within 
the  power  of  his  old  Colossian  friend  to  express  his 
own  feelings  towards  Onesimus,  as  a  man  and  a 
Christian.  Mark  the  expression  of  this  sentiment : 
"  Whom  I  would  have  retained  with  me,  that  in  thy 
stead  he  might  have  ministered  unto  me,  in  the  bonds 
of  the  gospel  :  but  without  thy  mind  would  1  do 
nothing,  that  thy  benefit  should  not  be,  as  it  were, 
of  necessity,  but  willingly."  A  similar  phrase  occurs 
in  the  Second  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians  (ix.  7), 
where  Paul  shows  them,  that,  although  they  were 
bound  by  the  law  of  Christ  to  contribute  a  supply 
to  the  wants  of  their  persecuted  brethren,  he  wished 
them  to  do  it  from  a  principle  of  love,  and  not  by 
constraint :  "  Every  man,  as  he  has  purposed  in  his 
heart,  so  let  him  give  ;  not  grudgingly  or  of  neces- 
sity." The  style  of  address  in  the  letter  to  Philemon 
is  analogous  to  this  ;  for  although  the  law  of  Christ 
forbade  him  to  hold  his  "  beloved  brother  "  Onesi- 
mus in  a  state  of  servitude,  by  force  or  threatening, 
yet  Paul  deemed  it  desirable  that  Philemon  should 
show  openly  that  he  was  governed  by  Christian  prin- 
ciple in  this  case,  and  not  by  a  sense  of  hard  con- 
straint, or  the  awe  of  an  apostolic  command. 

We  have  now  examined  those  precepts  of  the 
apostles,  touching  relative  duties,  on  which  the 
advocates  of  slavery  found  their  argument.  It  ap- 
pears to  us,  not  merely  that  they  accord  with  the 
position  which  we  have  taken  on  the  doctrine  of 
Christianity,  but  that  they  cannot  be  clearly  and 
consistently  understood  unless  they  are  seen  from 


420  Christianity  and  SLAVfiKY. 

this  point  of  view.  There  is  one  statement  of  Paul, 
however,  bearing  on  the  whole  subject,  which  ought 
not  to  be  overlooked.  It  is  one  which  shows  that 
Christianity  places  the  crime  of  man-stealing  on  the 
same  ground  of  sinfulness  as  did  the  law  of  Moses. 
As  we  have  already  seen,  by  that  law,  it  was  not 
only  a  capital  crime  to  steal  a  man,  but  also  to  have 
in  one's  possession  a  man  who  had  been  stolen. 
Jewish  servitude  never  originated  in  man-stealing  ; 
and  if  in  any  house,  or  village,  or  town,  or  commu- 
nity, there  had  been  found  a  slave-system  which 
owned  such  an  origin,  the  Mosaic  law  would  have 
abolished  it  immediately  when  that  fact  had  been 
established.  Now,  in  the  opening  of  the  First  Epis- 
tle to  Timothy  (i.  10),  Paul  views  the  crime  thus 
treated  of  old  in  the  same  point  of  light,  when  he 
classes  men-stealers  with  man-slayers,  and  perjured 
persons,  and  other  transgressors  of  the  divi7ie  law. 
But  all.  know  that  American  slavery  did  originate  in 
man-stealing,  which  even  the  civil  law  has  denounced 
as  piracy.  Those  who  now  hold  in  their  possession 
the  descendants  of  the  first  captives,  have  not,  in 
the  sight  of  God,  any  more  right  to  their  persons  as 
property,  than  our  fathers  had  to  the  first  captives 
themselves,  whom  they  purchased  from  the  hands  of 
the  bloody  slave-dealer,  fresh  and  reeking  from  the 
coast  of  Africa.  If  the  men  of  the  present  genera- 
tion deplore  their  unsought  relation  to  this  oppres- 
sive system  as  a  misfortune, — if  it  be  their  main 
anxiety  to  learn  in  what  way  they  may  set  them- 
selves right  in  regard  to  it,— the  Almighty,  it  may 
be   hoped,    will    be   long-suffering   and    forbearing 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  421 


toward  their  slowness,  and  will  mercifully  consider 
their  difficulties  ;  but  if,  on  the  other  hand,  they 
ratify  the  sins  of  our  predecessors,  and  vindicate 
their  own  right  to  possession  by  the  assumed  sanc- 
tions of  religion,  He  whose  stored  vengeance  hung 
over  the  Ammonites  during  four  centuries,  until 
"  their  iniquity  was  full,"  will  in  like  manner  sweep 
this  whole  realm  of  sanctimonious  oppression  with 
the  besom  of  desolation,  and  attest  to  the  universe, 
by  his  mighty  acts,  that  "  the  throne  of  iniquity,  hath 
no  fellowship  "  with  heaven. 


SECTION  YII. 

RESPONSIBILITY    OF    AMERICAN- CHRISTIANS. 

Neither  religion,  philosophy,  nor  humanity,  fur- 
nish any  standing-place  whereon  a  man  may  press  a 
slave-holder!s  claim  of  right  by  the  plea  of  prescrip- 
tion. There  is  nothing  in  human  nature  which  re- 
sponds to  such  an  argument,  when  we  bring  the  case 
closely  home  to  ourselves.  Time  was,  we  know, 
when  in  Algiers  there  were  a  large  number  of  white 
slaves,  both  English  and  Americans.  Suppose,  for 
a  moment,  that  our  own  government  had  never  suc- 
ceeded in  rescuing  our  fellow-citizens  from  that 
foreign  bondage,  and  that  now  their  descendants, 
our  own  relatives  by  blood  and  family,  had  become 
the  inheritance  of  a  new  race  of  owners.  What  if, 
on  demanding  the  release  of  these  captives,  their 
lords  should  meet  us  with  such  Christian  arguments 


422  Christianity  and  Slavery.  - 

as  are  found  in  the  letters  of  Dr.  Fuller,  should 
declare  to  us  that  they  had  not  had  anj^thing  to  do 
with  bringing  those  poor  people  there,  that  they  had 
found  themselves  in  a  relation  of  ownership  to  them, 
that  this  had  now  become  a  permanent  element  of 
their  social  organization,  that  slavery  had  been  tole- 
rated by  our  own  holy  religion  in  the  Roman  em- 
pire, and  that  they  now  appealed  to  us,  by  our 
regard  •  to  order,  to  justice,  to  civil  claims  of  prop- 
erty which  time  had  consecrated,  and  especially  by 
our  reverence  for  the  primitive  and  prudent  teach- 
ings of  that  Christianity  in  which  we  so  much 
gloried,  that  we  should  show  ourselves  to  be  the 
lovers  of  peace,  and  leave  them  undisturbed,  in  the 
enjoyment  of  those  rights  with  which  Divine  Provi- 
dence had  so  long  invested  them?  Would  our 
friends  in  South  Carolina  then  be  found  yielding 
quietly  to  the  power  of  these  "  sacred  truths,"  and 
paying  homage  to  the  intellect  of  the  Christian 
Teacher  who  had,  by  means  of  them,  so  wonderfully 
enlio-htened  the  minds  of  the  Alo^erines  ?  Would 
not  then  a  single  wail,  wafted  over  the  waters  from 
a  captive  boy  bearing  the  name  of  one  of-  their  own 
families,  at  once  identify  his  cause  with  that  of  the 
first  sufferers,  and  dissolve  this  claim  to  property  in 
man  founded  on  prescription?"  Would  not  every 
one  of  them  feel  the  decisions  of  such  a  question  at 
his  pulse  ?  And  surely,  if  this  sense  of  right  and 
justice  in  us,  short-sighted  beings,  can  arouse  our 
souls  to  overleap  a  long  interval  of  years,  to  dispel 
the  misty  illusions  of  time,^^^^S^to  look  at  things  by 
the  simple   light  of  their   6wn    unchanging   moral 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  423 

nature,  let  us  not  harbor  the  thought  that  time  can 
consecrate  wrong  doing,  or  avert  its  penalties,  under 
the  government  of  that  Supreme  Ruler,  before  whom 
"  a  thousand  years  is  as  one  day;"  who  has  solemnly 
declared  that  he  will  "  visit  the  iniquities  of  the 
fathers  upon  the  children  unto  the  third  and  fourth 
generation  ;"  and  who  declared,  through  the  lips 
of  the  Messiah,  to  the  people  of  Jerusalem,  that, 
unless  they  abjured  the  sins  of  their  fathers,  they 
would  fall  beneath  the  weight  of  a  woe  which  had 
for  ages  been  treasuring  up  its  stores  of  fatal  judg- 
ment. 

It  is  with  good  reason,  therefore,  that  we  agree  in 
sentiment  with  Dr.  Fuller  when  he  says,  "  Compared 
with  slavery,  all  other  topics  which  now  shake  and 
inflame  men's  passions  in  these  United  States,  are 
really  trifling.'*-  On  this  account  it  is  that  we  feel 
how  unspeakably  weighty  is  the  obligation  which 
has,  from  the  first,  rested  on  the  American  church, 
to  hold  forth  God's  testimony  touching  the  nature 
of  the  evil  with  unwavering  fidelity.  Dr.  Fuller 
observes  that  slavery  was  introduced  here  "  in  spite 
of  the  protests  of  the  colonies. "t  But  why  was  this 
note  of  remonstrance  permitted  to  die  away,  and  to 
be  changed,  first,  into  soft  tones  of  apology  for  the 
system,  and  at  last  into  the  voice  of  bold  and  elo- 
quent defence?  Had  the  Christian  church  been 
faithful  to  her  mission,  the  result  had  been  very 
different.  It  is  a  truth,  however,  that  in  relation  to 
this  subject,  the  Am'^rican  church  has,  to  a  great 

*  Page  3.  f  Page  131. 


424  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

extent,  laid  aside  the  character  of  a  true  and  faith- 
ful witness,  and  has  incurred  censures  similar  to 
those  which  are  recorded  in  the  second  chapter  of 
the  Book  of  Revelation,  against  the  ancient  church 
of  Pergamos,  for  holding  back  her  testimony,  in 
relation  to  the  prevailing  system  of  idolatry.  The 
message  there  addressed  to  her,  contrasts  her  early 
state  of  purity  with  that  of  the  first  decline  of  her 
character.  "  These  things  saith  he  who  hath  the 
sharp  sword  with  two  edges  ;  I  know  thy  works, 
and  where  thou  dwellest,  even  where  Satan's  seat  is; 
and  thou  holdest  fast  my  name,  and  hast  not  denied 
my  faith,  even  in  those  days  wherein  Antipas  was 
my  faithful  martyr,  who  was  slain  among  you  where 
Satan  dwelleth  ;  but  I  have  a  few  things  against 
thee,  because  thou  hast  there  them  that  hold  the 
doctrine  of  Balaam,  who  taught  Balak  to  cast  a 
stumbling-block  before  the  children  of  Israel,  to  eat 
things  sacrificed  to  idols,  and  to  commit  fornication. 
Repent,  or  else  I  will  come  unto  thee  quickly,  and 
will  fight  against  them  with  the  sword  of  my 
mouth." 

Now,  here  it  is  certainly  interesting  to  observe, 
that,  in  order  to  prepare  this  Christian  church  for 
the  rebuke  which  he  was  about  to  utter,  our  Lord 
shows  to  them  that  he  was  mindful  of  all  the  peculiar 
difficulties  with  which  they  were  surrounded  ;  that, 
in  estimating  the  results  of  a  people's  influence,  he 
has  regard  to  their  place  of  residence,  the  state  of 
society  on  which  they  operate,  and  the  peculiar 
forms  of  depravity  with  which  they  may  be  called 
to  wrestle.     Pergamos  was  consecrated  to  the  Ca- 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  425 


biri,  a  particular  class  of  deities,  and  so  drenched  in 
the  slough  of  superstition  that  every  man  and  every 
child  seemed  to  be  mad  upon  their  idols.  The 
Athenians  were  given  up  to  idolatry,  but  they  loved 
it  for  its  associations  with  art  and  genius,  and  in  it 
they  worshipped  the  beautiful  ;  but  the  people  of 
Pergamos  loved  it  more  for  its  lower  elements,  and 
were  more  penetrated  with  its  essential  spirit.  Of 
such  a  place  it  might  be  truly  said,  "  Satan's  seat  is 
there  ;"  for  although  he  is  called  "  the  god  of  this 
world,"  although,  as  we  look  abroad  over  the  na- 
tions, every  region  bears  the  insignia  of  his  sway, 
yet,  comparatively  speaking,  some  parts  seem  to  be 
like  tributary  provinces  ;  while  others,  for  their 
wickedness,  appear  to  lie  near  the  seat  and  capital 
of  his  empire.  The  recognition  of  this  fact  in  the 
inspired  message  which  we  have  here  quoted,  brings 
out  to  view  an  encouraging  truth,  that,  although  our 
Lord  expects  much  of  his  church  on  earth,  there  is 
not  an  obstacle  in  her  path  which  he  has  not  fully 
measured. 

The  spirit  of  the  accusation,  then,  against  the 
Christians  of  Pergamos,  may  be  thus  stated,  that, 
although  the  Most  High  would  make  the  most  mer- 
ciful allowances  for  the  small  amount  of  results 
accomplished  by  the  church  in  that  city,  he  would 
make  none  at  all  for  their  corrupting  the  principles 
of  his  religion — although  he  could  bear  with  the 
small  quantity  of  good  influence  which  they  had  put 
forth,  he  could  not  bear  with  the  deterioration  of  its 
quality.  Small  success  in  promulgating  the  gospel 
may  be  charitably  accounted  for,  but  to  mutilate  the 


426  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

gospel  itself  is  a  sin  which  he  will  visit  with  con- 
dign severity.  The  message  itself  gives  evidence, 
that,  after  the  church  at  Pergamos  had  resisted  her 
outward  foes  with  a  holy  and  heroic  spirit,  she  was 
yielding  to  the  influence  of  those  who  were  ready  to 
accommodate  their  Christianity  to  the  times,  saying 
that  an  external  conformity  to  the  usages  of  idolatry 
was  innocent  and  expedient.  Perhaps  some  of  them 
advanced,  in  effect,  what  has  since  been  urged  with 
zeal  by  the  Papists,  that  the  way  to  win  the  lieathen 
to  Christianity  is  not  to  be  too  rigidly  separate  from 
them,  but  to  tolerate  many  errors  for  the  present, 
and  to  turn  a  participation  in  the  rites  and  festivals 
to  a  good  account.  The  allusion  to  Balak  shows 
that  some  of  these  Christians  had  already  drunk  of 
the  "  Ammonitish  wine,"  which  intoxicated  the  Is- 
raelites, which  led  them  to  honor  Baal  Peor  and  to 
forsake  the  law  of  God.  Their  conformity  did  not 
stop  at  the  first  step  ;  "  their  table  became  a  snare 
and  a  trap,"  and  their  spirit  of  idolatry  led  to  every 
species  of  evil.  Their  destiny,  as  a  church,  was 
involved  in  their  fidelity  to  first  principles.  Hence 
the  message  sent  to  them  from  the  isle  of  Patmos 
directs  its  woe  against  all  those  who  pervert  the 
Divine  word,  or  bring  down  the  standard  of  its 
principles  to  the  level  of  their  own  convenience. 
That  is  a  great  sin,  because  it  destroys  the  remedy 
for  sin.  A  single  Christian,  or  a  church,  may  be 
able  to  make  but  little  headway  against  a  prevailing 
custom,  against  popular  opinion,  against  a  badly 
organized  state  of  society  ;  but  every  church,  every 
man,  and  every  woman,  may  liold  up  a  sound  testi- 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  42T 


mony,  may  state  the  truth  of  God  correctly,  and 
leave  the  consequence  to  Him,  whether  it  be  to  let 
it  work  gently  like  leaven,  or  to  be  as  the  fire  and 
the  hammer  which  breaks  the  rock  of  flint. 

This  remark  has  respect  to  the  proper  treatment 
of  all  sins  which  are  called  "  organic,"— those  which 
are  deeply  interwoven  with  the  elements  of  the  so- 
cial structure,  as,  for  instance,  idolatry  or  slavery. 
Time  was  when  almost  universally,  throughout  this 
country,  men  owned  slavery  to  be  a  sin  ;  that  is,  a 
thing  which  is  in  itself  a  transgression  of  the  law  of 
righteousness.     Scarcely  anywhere  could  a  man  be 
heard  to  say,  that  either  its  commencement  or  its 
continuance  was  sanctioned  by  reason  or  scripture. 
Amidst  the  agitation  of  recent  years,  however,  many 
leading  men  in  the  land  have  deemed  the  avowal  of 
such  a  sentiment  to  be  contrary  to  a  safe  policy,  and 
have  proclaimed  slavery  to  be,  not  an  entailed  mis- 
fortune, but  a  righteous  relation  sanctioned  by  the 
Christian  scriptures.     Now,  in  this  juncture,  Divine 
Providence  undoubtedly  called  the  Christian  church 
in  the  slave  states  to  a  great  duty  ;  to  proclaim,  on 
the  one  hand,  that  she  was  averse  to  all  fanatical 
violence,  wrath,  and  strife  ;  and,  on  the  other,  that 
to  her.  Heaven  had  committed  a  pure  and  free  Chris- 
tianity, which  teaches  that  "  God  has  made  of  one 
blood  all  nations  to  dwell  upon  the  face  of  the  earth/' 
—that  the  men  of  Europe  or  America  have  no  more 
right  of  ownership  in  the  flesh  and  blood  of  the  chil- 
dren of  Africa,  than  the  Africans  have  in  theirs  ; 
and  that,  not  power,  or  wealth,  or  color,  can  give  to 
man  a  right  of  property  in  man.     This  testimony 


428  Cheistianity  and  Slavery. 

she  should  have  held  forth  with  a  calm  martyr-spirit, 
seeking  nought  by  violence,  but  to  overcome  by  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb  and  the  word  of  his  testimony. 
But,  alas !  to  a  great  extent,  her  ministry  and  mem- 
bers have  succumbed  to  the  laws,  the  politics,  the 
statesmanship,  and  the  spirit  of  this  world, — have 
altered  the  testimony  of  Christ's  word,  and  have 
publicly  declared  that  his  religion  sanctions  a  sys- 
tem of  slavery.  If  the  apostle  John,  who  was  in- 
spired of  old  to  warn  the  declining  churches  of  Asia, 
could  descend  from  heaven  with  a  special  message 
to  this  portion  of  the  American  church,  its  "  burden" 
and  its  tone  would  probably  agree  with  those  of  this 
letter  to  Pergamos,  saying.  "  I  know  where  thou 
dwellest,  even  in  the  midst  of  a  system  which  Satan 
has  devised  to  grind  your  brethren  with  hard  bond- 
age. I  know  how  little  thou  canst  do  to  change  the 
laws  and  manners  of  this  people,  and  break  the  bands 
of  oppression  ;  but  I  have  a  few  things  against  thee, 
because  thou  hast  there  them  that  hold  the  doctrine 
of  the  devil,  saying  that  this  system  is  from  me,  and 
that  it  bears  the  sanction  of  your  Lord  and  Master. 
Kepent,  or  else  I  will  come  unto  thee  quickly,  and 
will  fight  against  thee  with  tlie  sword  of  my  mouth." 
Of  such  a  spirit,  we  believe,  would  be  the  message 
sent  to  a  portion  of  our  American  church,  if  the 
oracle  of  God  should  illuminate  another  Patmos. 
The  man  who,  in  the  view  of  the  civil  law,  is  regard- 
ed as  a  slaveholder,  but  who,  in  heart,  abhors  the 
system,  testifies  against  it  as  unrighteous,  and  does 
what  he  can  to  bring  it  to  an  end,  is  guiltless,  com- 
pared with  him.  either  at  the  South  or  the  North, 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  429 


who  never  owned  a  slave,  but  who  says  that  Chris 
tianity  sanctions  slavery.  The  one  is  the  unwilling 
victim  of  the  system  ;  the  other  is  the  voluntary  ad- 
vocate of  a  principle,  which,  if  true,  fixes  on  Chris- 
tianity all  the  guilt  of  the  system  itself.  The  one 
exerts  an  influence  which  tends  to  destroy  the  sys- 
tem ;  the  other,  an  influence  whicli  tends  to  perpet- 
uate it.  The  one  utters  a  testimony,  however  fee- 
ble, in  harmony  with  the  voice  of  the  Bible  ;  the 
other  muffles  God's  trumpet,  so  that  it  can  pour  forth 
no  note  of  warning,  but  only  gentle  sounds,  which 
soothe  rather  than  alarm  the  conscience  of  the  op- 
pressor. 

As  we  have  said  before,  the  truths  involved  in  this 
message  proclaimed  by  the  voice  of  the  inspiration, 
apply  to  the  church's  testimony  respecting  all  or- 
ganic sins  whatsoever, — to  all  wrong  customs  which 
have  received  the  support  of  society.  It  will  not  do 
for  a  Christian,  or  an  association  of  Christians,  to 
say,  We  cannot  alter  them,  and  therefore  yield  to 
them.  In  many  things  we  all  may  have  been  sub- 
jected to  a  false  system,  whose  influence  we  have  in- 
haled like  a  subtle  atmosphere  ;  but  at  any  rate  we 
can  testify  against  it ;  we  can  hold  forth  the  law  of 
truth  and  righteousness  ;  we  can  make  known  the 
word  of  God,  "  uncorrupt  and  pure  ;"  and  thus,  bat- 
tling against  one  and  another  sin,  may  keep  it  from 
concealing  its  native  vileness  by  enrolling  itself  in 
the  authority  of  religion,  and  proudly  wearing  the 
sanctions  of  Christ,  like  stars  in  its  crown  of 
triumph. 

END. 


^' 


EDWAED  H.  FLETCHER, 
NASSATJ-STE  T, 

iira8-w--srGB.DK  J 

Keeps  constantly  on  hand  a  complete  assortment  of  RELICIO.US 
AND  Ml;JCELLANEOUS 

which  are  sold  at  very  low  prices. 
AUention  is  particularly  requested  to  the  following  list  of 

Muhk  mi  Snipnrtnnt  ^clnlilicniiniis, 

ALEXANDER,  J.  W.-The  Young  Mtn  of  Cities  urged  to  ike 
woik  of  Mental  Iwprovement. 

CARSON,   L.  L.  D.,   Alexander,  The   Life  of   by  Rev.  Geo.  C. 
Moore.     "  The  Jonathan  Edwards  of  the  19th  century." 

•^         "         The  Knowledge  of  Jesus  the  most  ezcdlent  of  the   Sci- 
ences. 
"A  chariniiig  book,  and  we  could  wish  it  were  in  every 

Chri.-tian  family."  Lutheran  Observer. 

"  A  book  of  vigorous  thought,  worthy  of  careful  .-study." 
..  w     .J  J     .  lid.  Herald.' 

Would  do  honor  to  any  pen  that  ever  wrote." 

"        '•         The  God  of  Providence.     (In  press.) 

COlWERSATIOWAL  COMMENTARY  on  Matthew,  John 
and  tie  Acts.     By  Wm.  Hague,  D.  D. 

COBBIN,  Ingram.     The  Illustrated  Domestic  Bible. 

CHEEVER,  D.  D.,  Geo.  H.-A  Plea  for  Children  and  the  Chris- 
lian  baobath. 

DOWLiWa,  D.  D.,  John.— A  Collection  of  Hymns  for  use  iu  aon- 
ference  and  prayer  meetings. 

"        *         The   Old-Fashioned  Bible,   or  ten  reasons  against  the 
proposed  Baptist  version  of  the  New  Tcstiument. 


^' 


'^ 


EVERTS,  Wm.  W.-Tke  Lift  and  Thoughts  of  John  Foster. 

"        "        The  Social  Position  and  Influence  of  Cities. 

"        "        The  Theatre. 

FOSTER.  John.— 7%e  Spirit  of  JyFissions,  witTi  an  Essay  by  Rev. 
J.  P.  Thompson,  pastor  of  the  Broadway  Tabernacle  Church. 

HEAVEN'S  ANTIDOTE  to  the  Curse  of  Labor,  a  prize  essay 
on  the  Sabbath. 

HARRIS,  Mrs.  S.  ^.—Memoir  of  Jacob  Thomas,  missionary  to 

Assam. 

HAGUE,  D.  D,,  Wm.,  Conversational  Commentary  on  Matthew 
John  and  the  Acts. 

*•        **        The  Duties  of  Employers  and  Employed. 

MOORE,  Geo.  C. — Life  of  Alexander  Carson,  LL.  D. 

MATTISON,  n.—The  Trinity  and  Modern  Arianism. 

PAINE,  Martyn. — The  Soul,  Instinct  and  Life,  physiologically 
distinguished  from  Materialism. 

SABBATH  ESSAYS;  comprisiii!:  the  Pearl  of  Days,  Heaven's 
Antidote,  and  the  Light  of  the  Week. 

THE  GOD  or  PROVIDENCE,  the  God  of  the  Bible;  by 
Alex.  Carson. 

THE  PEARL  OP  DAYS,  by  a  Laborer's  Daughter. 

THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WEEK,  or  the  Advantages  of  the 
Sabbath  to  the  Working  Classes.     A  prize  Elssay. 

WILLIAMS,  D.  D.,  Wm.  R.,  Miscellanies;  consisting  of  Dis- 
courses and  Essays.  This  volume  contains  the  most  elaborate 
and  finished  of  Dr,  Williams'  produ:tions. 

"A  volume  which  is  absolutely  ncce^ary  to  the  completeness  of  a 
modern  library." — iV.  T.  Weekly  Review. 

"  Dr.  Williams  is  a  profound  scholar  and  a  brilliant  writer." — N.T, 
Evangelist. 

"*    «    *    from  the  pen  of  one  of  the  most  able  and  accomjjlished 
authors  of  the  age." — Bap.  MemoriaL 

"  We  are  glad  to  see  this  volume.     We  wish  that  such  men  abound- 
ed in  every  sect." — Ohn.  Register. 

"  This  volume  contains  some  of  the  choicest  emanations  of  a  mind 
of  the  highest  order.'^ — ff.  Y.  Com.  Advertiser. 

"This  is  one  of  the  riche*t  volumes  that  has  been  given  to  the  pub 
lie  for  many  years." — N.  Y.  Bap.  Register. 

"  The  author's  mind  is  cast  in  no  common  mould.    *  *  a  delightful 
volume." — Methodist  Protestant. 

gj j^ 


ALEXANDER    CARSON,   LL.D. 

THE  knowledgeTf  JESUa 

The  most  Excellent  of  the  Sciences. 
BY  ALEXANDER  CARSON,  LL.D. 

{From  the  Lutheran  Observer.) 

This  is  a  charming  book,  and  we  could  wish  it  were  in  every  Cliristian 
tamily.  The  author  is  a  writer  of  rare  merit :  learned,  philosophic,  pro- 
found,  devout,  and  singularly  fluent  and  beautiful  in  his  style.  We  take 
great  pleasure  in  recommending  it.  He  has  been  called  "the  Jonathan 
Edwards  of  the  nineteenth  century,"  and  those  who  read  this  admirable 
production  will  not  be  unwilling  to  admit  his  claim  to  this  distinguished 
tompliment. 

(From  the  Religious  Herald,  Hartford.) 

This  is  a  book  of  vigorous  thought,  deserving  of  attentive  perusal  and 
careful  study  by  ministers  and  intelligent  laymen.  It  discusses  in  a  con- 
densed manner  the  facts  respecting  God  and  His  government  which  are 
presented  by  nature,  and  then  passes  to  the  more  explicit  revelation  of 
the  Rible,  and  shows  the  identification  of  the  gospel  with  the  divine  char- 
actor,  as  manifested  in  the  work  of  reaemption  through  the  operation  of 
the  Ti-inity,  and  its  self  evident  truth. 

{From  the  Watchman  and  Reflector.) 
The  late  Dr.  Alexander  Carson,  of  Ireland,  possessed  an  intellect  of 
great  logical  power  and  a  heart  of  warm  affections.  His  works  are  henco 
characterized  by  depth  and  clearness  of  thought,  and  by  vigor  and  fervor 
of  expression.  His  views  of  the  gospel,  as  of  the  framework  and  ordi- 
nances of  the  church,  are  as  luminous  as  day.  The  present  volume  takes 
rank  among  the  best  of  the  productions  of  his  pen. 

{From  the  Congregationalist.) 
The  work  shows  for  itself  that  it  was  written  by  a  man  of  bold    \d 
strong  thought.    It  has  no  reference  to  the  distinguishing  doctrines  of 
his  own  denomination,  though  Dr.  Carson  has  some  celebrity  for  writings 
tf  th.*6  class. 

PUBLISHED    BY 

EDWARD    n.    FLETCHER, 

NASSAU  STREET,  NEW  YORK. 


RSCOMMSKDATIONS 

OP 

THE  KNOWLEDGE  OF  JESUS. 

BY    DR.    CARSON. 


[From  the  Primitive  Church  Magazine,  Londao.] 

"In  illustrating  this  glorious  theme  the  a-ithor'i 
mind  expands  in  the  lull  strength  and  vig^sr  of  ita  con- 
ceptions, and  pictures  realities  of  Divine  *j~ith  alnwst 
too  brightly  to  be  beheld  with  the  eye  of  ^«iitit  undim- 
med. 

"  The  present  volume  ('  The  Knowledge  of  Jesus') 
is  full  of  invaluable  principles,  cast  in  an  attractive 
mould.  Every  page  lives  with  interest ;  there  is  no 
thing  dry,  nothing  tedious.  Its  style  flows  transparent 
and  free  as  the  mountain  stream." 

[From  the  Orthodox  Presbyterian,  Belfast.] 

EDITED   BY   DR.  EDGAR. 

"  On  matters  of  church  order,  it  is  well  known  we 
differ  from  him ;  but  as  a  scholar  we  honor  him — as  a 
Christian  brother  we  embrace  him.  In  the  knowledge 
of  the  philosophy  of  the  language,  he  is  far  in  advance 
of  the  present  age  ;  and  with  respect  to  metaphysical 
acuteness  and  powers  of  reasoning,  he  has  been  called 
the  Jonathan  Edwards  of  the  nineteenth  century.' 
His  character  as  a  philosophic  theologian,  and  a  pro- 
found, original,  independent  thinker,  stands  in  the  very 
highest  rank  ;  and  he  is  only  justly  designated,  when 
called  one  of  the  most  phnosophic  reasoners  of  the  pres- 
ent age." 

EDWARD  H.  FLETCHER,  PubUsher, 

Nassau  St.,  N.  Y* 


COMPRISING, 

THE    HISTORY    OF    PROVIDENCE    AS    UNFOLDED    IN   THE 

BOOK    OF   ESTHER,  alsO,  THE   GOD  OF  PROVIDENCE, 

THE  GOD  OF  THE  BIBLE,  and  also,  THE  TRUTH 

OF  THE  GOSPEL  DEMONSTRATED  FROM  THE 

CHARACTER     OF     GOD     MANIFESTED 

IN    THE    ATONEMENT. 

BY    ALEXANDER    CARSON. 

12mo.  cloth,  Price,  75  cents. 

"  This  volume  contains  an  able  and  highly  interesting 
elucidation  of  the  wonderful  disclosures  of  divine  Provi- 
dence, narrated  in  the  book  of  Esther.  The  facts  re- 
corded in  that  book  reveal  the  unseen  hand  of  the  Most 
High,  directing  the  most  minute  events,  as  well  as  those 
esteemed  great,  to  accomplish  the  hallowed  purposes  of 
his  own  will.  The  work  before  us  draws  out  and  illus- 
trates this  consolatory  truth." — Chn.  Observer." 

"  We  have  already  in  former  numbers  of  the  Memo- 
rial, noticed  "  the  Life  of  Carson  "  by  Mr.  Moore,  and 
"  the  Knowledge  of  Jesus,"  written  by  Dr.  C.  We  have 
now  the  third  volume  in  the  series,  and  we  hope  there 
will  be  many  more,  if  they  are  all  as  good  as  the  one 
before  us.  It  contains  a  clear,  cogent,  and  incontrovert- 
ible argument  m  favor  of  the  cardinal  doctrine  of  a  spe- 
cial Providence  of  God.  The  skeptic  maintains  that  all 
events  occur  in  accordance  with  the  general  laws  of 
nature:  but  Dr.  Carson  shows  conclusively,  that  even  in 
the  general  laws  of  his  government,  God  specially  super- 
intends them  so  that  particular  events  transpire  by  the 
efficiency  of  particular  agents,  and  usually  in  accordance 
with  general  laws."— Bap.  Memorial. 


AS 
OR    FACTS   FROM    SCRIPTURE 

ILLUSTRATIVE  OF  THE  GOVEKXME]^T  OF  GOD. 

BY  ALEXANDER  CARSON,  LL.  D. 

"  It  affords  us  great  pleasure  to  call  the  public  attention 
to  any  work  from  the  pen  of  this  great  and  good  man.  He 
wrote  much  and  powerfully  on  many  important  subjects 
connected  with  religion;  but  on  none  with  more  power, 
either  of  intellect  or  of  heart  than  the  Providence  of  God, 
as  developed  on  the  page  of  inspiration  or  common  experi- 
ence " — JMutl'.ers  Journal. 

"  It  is  a  highly  instructive  book  ;  for  though  it  takes  all 
its  facts  from  the'  Bible,  it  throws  them  into  a  brighter  light 
than  that  in  which  we  suppose  the  mass  of  Christians  even, 
have  been  accustomed  to  contemplate  them."-  Puritan 
Recorder. 

"■  It  embraces  a  series  of  investigations  into  the  inspired 
history  from  Genesis  to  the  Revelations.  It  exhibits  the 
acconiplishment  of  the  Divine  purposes  even  with  respect 
to  incidents  the  most  minute,  during  a  course  of  thousands 
of  years.  No  theme  can  administer  more  efficiently  to  the 
strength  and  comfort  of  the  people  of  God  than  this  ;  and 
an  abler  mind  than  that  of  Carson,  the  philosopher  and 
Christian,  could  scarcely  address  itself  to  such  an  under- 
taking."— Southern  Baptist. 

^  "  The  Providence  of  God  like  his  Word  is  an  inexhaus- 
tible mine  of  instruction  ;  and  there  are  things  in  it  which 
"they  that  are  unlearned  and  unstable  wrest  as  they  do 
also  the  other  Scriptures  to  their  own  destruction."  The 
work  before  us  illustrates  in  a  series  of  chapters  the  mys- 
teries of  Providence  as  revealed  in  the  Bible.  The  facts, 
happily  selected  by  the  author  from  the  pages  of  sacred 
history,  present  the  subject  in  its  more  impressive  and 
practical  relations." — Christian  Observer. 


FLETCHER'S    PUBLICATIONS. 


INSPIRATION  OF  THE  SCRIPTURES, 

BY   ALEXANDER   CARSON,  LL.D. 
12nio.  Cloth.    Price  85  Cents. 

"  This  js  a  very  timely  production  by  a  very  distinguished  author. 
There  is  much'looseness  in  the  writn)gs  of  the  author  here  re- 
viewed by  Carson,  and  their  errors  are  in  many  instances  exposed 
as  his  withering  logic  is  made  to  bear  upon  them.  'J'he  author 
urges  that  the  whole  Bible  is  inspired,  both  sentiment  and  language, 
and  hence,  just  as  found  in  the  original  Hebrew  and  Greek,  is  to 
be  received  as  containing  the  mind  and  will  of  God  The  inspi- 
ration of  the  Scriptures  is  regarded  in  a  variety  of  lights  by  theo- 
logians of  this  day,  and  many  of  tlie  refining,  speculating,  philos- 
ophising kind  are  seeking  to  exjilain  away  all  that  claims  to  be 
irom  God,  and  making  th«  Bible  but  little  less  than  human,  and  of 
human  authority.  Carson  is  just  the  man  to  grapple  with  such 
heretical  theorie's  and  expose  tiieir  absurdity  and  depravity.  This 
volume  ought  to  find  a  place  in  the  library  of  every  pastor  and 
theologicar.student,  and  in  every  family  that  loves  the  pure  Word 
of  God.  It  contains  a  strong  argument  to  fortiiy  against  the  as- 
saults of  infidelity  and  skepticism." — Christian  Chronicle. 

Every  Christian  who  would  counteract  the  skeptical  tendencies 
of  the  present  day  should  circulate  this  work. 

With  the  exception  of  Rev.  J.  N.  iMurdock,  the  present  editor 
of  the  Christian  Review,  but  one  opinion  has  been  expressed  of 
the  abihty  and  importance  of  this  work.  A  correspondent  of  the 
Christian  Chronicle  says  : 

"  Our  enterprising  young  publisher,  Mr.  Fletcher,  of  Nassau 
Street,  has  issued  another  volume  of  Carsoji's  Works,  intending  to 
continue  until  all  of  this  great  man's  noble  works  shall  be  pre- 
sented in  uniform  size  and  attractive  style 

The  present  volume  is  on  the  inspiration  of  the  Scriptures,  a  sub- 
ject which,  v/e  fear,  very  few  cf  our  families  ever  read  any  volume 
upon.  We  dissent  from  the  brief  censure  of  the  Christian  Review 
of  this  work.  It  was  written  with  the  pen  of  a  theological  swords- 
man, it  is  true,  and  we  are 'far  from  loving  or  encouraging  the  spirit 
ef  controversy;  but  when  we  remember  the  time  and  circum- 
stances of  Carson's  life  we  honor  liim  for^vhat  he  did.  He  struck 
for  God  and  his  native  land,  Ireland— that  greener^t  isle  of  the  ocean, 
and  on  which  Poperv  and  Knglisli  Church  and  State  rule  have  to- 
gether heaped  their  bitterest  curses.  We  cordially  commend  this 
work  to  all  families  who  would  be  well-grounded  in  tlie  reasons 
why  they  believe  and  honor  tlicir  Bibles  as  the  Word  of  God." 
From  the  Watchman  and  Reflector. 
"  Like  all  else  that  Dr.  Caison  has  written,  the  present  work  is 
marked  by  vigor  of  thought  and  language,  and  acute  discrimina- 
tion. Never  do  these  qualities  shine  out  more  distinctly  than  when 
the  lamented  author  was  engaged  in  controversy.  It  is  to  be  re- 
marked, however,  that  he  is  no  advocate  of  visionary  theories,  and 
when  most  pointed,  and  even  caustic,  it  is  because,  like  an  inspired 
writer  whom  in  mind  he  much  resembles,  ho  is  '  set  for  the  defence 
of  tlio  gospel.'  "     :. 


FLETCHER'S    PUBLICATIONS. 


€l)t  Dnttrint  nf  tljt  Itnnmtnt. 

AXD  OTHER  TREATISES. 

BY   ALEXANDER   CARSON,   LL.  D. 

PRICE,  $1  00. 

*'  The  name  of  the  author  is  a  sufficient  guaranty  of  a 
sound  and  valuable  work  on  such  a  theme  as  the  Atone- 
ment. The  manner  of  its  treatment  is  of  the  right  kind 
for  deep,  impressive  and  salutary  effect.  His  object  is 
not  to  establish  one  of  two  theories,  which  has  wasted  so 
much  time,  talent  and  learning,  without  accomplishing  any 
»esult  in  the  life  of  either  Christian  or  siimer,  but  to  de- 
clare the  sublime  fact,  that  an  atonement  has  been  made 
for  sm  by  the  death  of  Jesus  Christ  ;  and  with  this  thrill- 
mg  fact  announced  and  fully  established,  he  proceed-s  to 
illustrate  its  practical  bearings  on  the  life.  The  name  of 
the  author,  and  the  merits  of  the  argument,  will  commend 
the  work  to  general  notice  and  favor.  The  publisher  is  to 
be  commended  for  issuing  a  book  of  such  rare  value." — 
Chn.  Chronicle. 

"All  criticism  of  the  details  of  Dr.  Carson's  argument 
we  must  omit ;  but  the  drift  of  his  views  seems  to  us  emi- 
nently clear  and  scriptural.  There  is  a  tendency,  especially 
among  the  younger  class  of  clergymen,  to  resort  to  meta- 
physical commonplaces  in  order  to  evade  the  difficulties 
which  unbelievers  urge  against  the  doctrine  of  Atonement. 
We  are  glad  to  see  a  mind  like  Carson's  brushing  these 
away,  and  taking  his  stand  upon  the  bold  and  clear  idea 
of  the  purchase  of  salvation  by  the  blood  of  Christ,  which 
lies  at  the  very  foundation  of  the  theology  of  the  Apostolic 
epistles." — N.  Y.  Recorder. 

"  Rev.  Mr.  Carson  bears  a  powerful  pen,  and  his  works 
have  produced  quite  an  impression  in  the  religious  world. 
His  views  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Atonement  are  of  the  old 
Evangelical  school,  but  he  expresses  his  opinions  in  his  own 
peculiar  style.  He  always  breathes  a  spirit  of  piety  and 
deep  devotion,  and  the  book  will  be  very  acceptable  to  the 
earnest  Christian." — Olive  Branch. 

"  The  author  of  the  treatises  contained  in  this  volume,  is 
well  known  to  the  public  as  a  vigorous  and  popular  writer. 
On  the  Atonement,  the  great  central  truth  of  Christianity, 
his  views  are  clear,  scriptural,  and  eminently  practical. — 
Christian  Observer. 

EDWAED  H.  FLETCHER,  Publisher,  .New  York. 


FLETCHER'S    PUBLICATIONS. 


Price,  T^vesaty-Fivc  Ceiats. 

Nearly  50,000  Copies  of  tliis  Collection  have  been  Sold. 

"  It  comprises  about  eighty  hymns,  to  each  of  which  a 
tune  is  attached.  A  large  portion  of  the  hymns  have  been 
and  will  ever  be  favorites,  and  are  well-adapted  to  enkindle 
devotion,  or  to  arrest  the  attention  of  the  careless  sinner. 
Some  of  the  tunes  may  now  be  deemed  old-fashioned,  but. 
for  pathos,  feeling  and  popular  effect,  far  exceed  the  larger 
portion  of  modern  church  music.  We  have  followed  too 
much  in  the  wake  of  Italian  composers,  sacrificing  feeling 
to  art,  and  pathos  and  simplicity  to  combinations,  which, 
though  they  may  be  striking  and  scientific,  fall  cold  and 
lifeless  on  the  ear.  In  seasons  of  revival  we  can  appreciate 
the  worth  of  these  popular  tunes,  and  gladly  resort  to  them ; 
and  they  become  valuable  auxiliaries  when  the  heart  has 
been  touched  or  the  conscience  aroused.  We  commend 
this  little  work  to  our  readers  as  a  useful  compilation  for 
prayer-meetings  or  revival  seasons." 


Cnnfntiiti?  I^piii 


BY    J.    DOWLINO,    D.  D. 

A  very  popular  collection  of  Hymns  for  social  meetmgs 
and  family  worship.    Price,  25  Cents. 

Price,  T^vesity-Five  Cents. 

A  collection  of  Hymns  for  the  fireside  and  for  social 
worship,  for  the  use  of  all  denominations. 

EDWARD  II.  FLETCHER,  Publisher, 

NEW     YORK. 


/Irirjirr's  ^^hlirEtinns, 


MEMOIR  OF  ALFRED  BE^tlNETT, 

FIRST   PASTOR    OF   THE 

PA"PTIST  CHURCH,  HOMEB,  NEW  TOUK, 

AND   SENIOR   AGENT   OF   THE 

AMERICAN    BAPTIST    MISSIONAY   UNION. 

BY  H.  HARVEY. 


[From  the  Christian  Chronicle.'] 

It  is  a  book  of  most  thrilling  interest.  The  engraving 
is  true  to  life,  and  is  worth  far  more  than  the  cost  of  llie 
volume  to  the  numerous  friends  of  Mr.  Bennett.  Memoirs 
are  generally  dry  and  formal  things,  but  this  is  a  striking 
exception.  There  is  not  a  page,  but  it  is  of  most  surpass- 
ing interest.  Mr.  Bennett  was  indeed  a  remarkable  man — 
great  by  nature,  great  bv  grace,  and  great  in  the  impres- 
sion nia(le  on  the  world.  His  experience  as  he  became 
a  Christian  in  early  life,  is  of  a  most  marked  nature, 
thoroughly  evincing  the  genuine  work  of  God  on  the  heart. 

Every  Christian  and  friend  of  missions  will  be  deeply 
interested  and  greatly  profited  by  reading  this  book. 


[From  the  True  Union.'] 

Those  who  knew  Father  Bennett  personally,  will  natu- 
rally desire  to  learn  something  more  of  him.  His  lively 
and  ardent  feelings  of  devotion,  his  strong  common  sense, 
his  great  energy  of  character,  his  unbending  integrity,  his 
fervent  zeal,  especially  in  the  cause  of  missions,  all  com- 
bine to  bespeak  for  the  Memoir  a  diligent  and  careful  pe- 
rusal. To  young  ministers,  and  to  those  who  would  in  any 
way  make  themselves  useful  in  the  church  we  would  com- 
mend this  work.  Among  the  motives  to  purchase  a  copy 
may  be  mentioned  the  fact  that  a  share  of  the  proceeds  of 
the  sale  go  to  the  widow  of  the  venerable  subject. 


§ltttin'i  Piilfcliatlong. 

t^u^B  in  €iitntBi: 

OR  , 

THE  PATH  OF  WISDOM  MADE  PLAIN. 

BY  REVS. 

"WILLIAM  W.   EVERTS,  J.  W.   ALEXANDER, 

WILLIAM  HAGUE,  0-.  W.   ANDERSON, 

GEORGE   B.    CHEEVER. 


"  This  is  a  most  capital  work  for  young  men.  It  coji- 
sists  of  essays  on  the  social  position  and  influence  of  cities ; 
the  temptations  of  city  life;  young  men  of  cities  urged  to 
tlie  work  of  mental  employment;  the  theatre;  duties  of 
employers  and  employed ;  punishment  not  preventive ;  a 
plea  for  children  ;  and  the  Sabbath." — LuUtcran  Observer. 

*'  These  discourses  have  been  prepared  in  view  of  the 
actual  necessities  and  dangers  of  the  times,  and  h;tve  a  di- 
rect application  to  the  condition  of  thousands.  We  should 
be  glad  to  see  hundreds  of  copies  of  this  volume  in  the 
hands  of  our  Church  members  in  this  city  ;  for  \vc  are  per- 
suaded its  careful  and  prayerful  perusal  would  be  attended 
with  good  results  on  a  large  scale." — Central  Chrislian 
Herald,  Cin 

"  On  the  whole  this  is  one  of  the  most  useful  as  well  as 
attractive  series  of  essays  which  have  fallen  under  our  no- 
tice . " — Christian  News. 


IN  HANDSOME  12ino  VOLUMES. 


VOL.  I. 
THE  KITOWLEDGE  OF  JESTJS,  the  most  excellent  of  tlie 

Sciences.    By  A.  Carson.     Eighth  thousand. 
VOL.    II. 

PEOVIDENCE  TJNTOLDED;  comprising  the  History  of 

Providence  as  unfolded  in  the  Book  of  Esther;  also,  the  God 
of  Providence,  the  God  of  the  Bible  ;  and  also,  the  Truth  of 
the  Gospel  demonstrated  from  the  character  of  God  manifest- 
ed in  the  Atonement.     By  A,  Carson. 

VOL.    III. 

THE  HISTORY  OF  PEOVIBENCE,  as  manifested  in  the 

Scriptures.     By  A.  Carson. 

VOT,.    IV. 

THE  INSPIKATION  OF  THE  SCFJPTUPvES,  and  other 
Treatises.    Fy  A.  Carson. 

VOL.    V. 
THE  DCCTPJNE  OF  THE  ATONEMENT,  and  other  Trea- 

tises.     Ey  A.  Carson. 

VOL.    VI. 
WORDS  IN  EARNEST.     By  W.  W.  Everts,  J.  W.  Alexander, 
and  William  Hague. 

VOL.    VII. 
ST.  HELENA  and  the  CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE,  or  Inci- 

dents  in  the  Missionary  Life  of  Rev  .J.  McG  Bertram.  By 
Kdwin  F.  Hatfield,  D.  D  With  an  Introduction  Ly  Geo.  B. 
Cheever,  D.  I). 

VOL.   VIII. 

MEMOIR  OF  ALFRED   BENNETT,  first  Pastor  of  the 

Bajtist  f'hnrch,  Homer,  New  'i'ork.  ;ind  Senior  Agent  of  the 
American  BajAist  .Missionary  Union.     By  11.  Harvey. 

VOL.    IX. 

BURMAH'S  GREAT  MISSIONARY;  Records  of  the  Life, 

Character,  and  Achiovc-ments  of  Adoniram  Judson.  By  R. 
T.  iMiddleditch.    Witii  elegant  Illustrations. 

VOI,.    X. 
THE  BAPTIST  PULPIT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.    Con- 

sistini^of  Eloquent  and  [nstru(t:ve  P.i.ssages  from  the  Sermons 
of  200  Baptist  Minister.";.  With  fine  Portraits.  By  Joseph 
Belcher,  D.  D.    450  pages. 

Price  for  the  ten  volumesj  ncat]y  bound  in  Cloth,  $8  50. 


FLETCHER'S 

lubcnilc  luib  Sabbiitl^  Scljoal 
LIBRARY. 

VOL.  I. 
EHODA,  or  the  Excellence  of  Charity. 

VOL.    11. 

THE  WRONG  SIDE  OF  TEE  LINE;  or  JuvenHe  Influ- 
ence.   13y  J.  H.  Ross. 

VOL.    III. 

THE  LIGHT  OE  THE  WEEK,  or  the  Advantages  of  the 

Sabbath.     By  John  Younger. 

VOL.    IV. 
THE  PEAPiL  OF  DAYS.     By  a  laborer's  daughter. 

VOL.    V. 

HEAVEN'S  ANTIBOTE  to  the  Curse. 

VOL.    VI. 

THE  SPIRIT  OF  MISSIONS;   or  the  Glory  of  the  Age. 

By  .John  Fo.;ter.     With  an  Introductory  Essay,  on  the  Scep- 
ticism of  the  Church.    By  Rev.  Joseph  P.  Thompson. 

VOL.   VII. 

NIGHTS  and  MORNHTGS,  or  Words  of  Comfort  addressed 

to  those  who  are  sowing  in  tears,  and  shall  reap  in  joy.    By 
John  Dowling,  D.  D. 

VOL.   VIII. 
SKETCHES  OF  A  TRACT  MISSIONARY.    By  Rev.  George 

Halt.    A  volume  of  experience  of  facts  and  incidents  in  the 
path  of  personal  efibrt. 

Price  of  the  eight  volumes,  neatly  bound  in  Cloth,  $2  50. 


PLETCnEll'S  PUBLICATIOXS. 
BURMAirS  GREAT  MISSIONARY, 

OR   RECORDS    OF    THE 

LIFE,  CHARACTER  AND  ACHIEVEMENTS 

OF 

ADONIRAM  JUDSOK". 

Elegantly  illustrated  tcith  fine  steel  engravings,  and  a  7nap, 

SHOWING   AT   A   GLANCE 

The  Field  of  jQdson's  Labors,  with  his  Voyages  and  Travels ; 

In  one  handsome  duodecimo  volume. 
PRICE,     ONE     DOLLAR. 


OPINIONS  OF  THE  PRESS. 

"Award  it  a  high  degree  of  accuracy." — Phila.  Chn.  Chronicle. 
"The  writer  has  well  attained  his  end." — Walchman  ^  Reflector. 
"  The  engravings  are  iu  high  perfection." — Baptist  Memonal. 
"  More  complete  and  accurate  than  all  its  predecessors  combined." 

New  York  Chronicle. 
"  It  is  well  written  "—Freewill  Baptist  Quarterly. 
"Every  family  in  the  land  should  read  it." — Con gre Rationalist. 
"Well  conceived  and  well  executed. —  Christian  Times. 
"A  fair  and  correct  view  of  facts." — y.  V.  Bapt.  Register. 
"A  faithful  history." — Western  Recorder. 
"  Fidelity  and  accuracy  realized  " — Jour,  and  Messenger. 
"Recommended  to 'every  Christian" — Western  Chn  Jldvocate. 
"  The  book  will  be  valued."— M/c/i    Christian  Herald. 
"Characterized  by  perfect  accuracy." — Christian  Review. 

The  undersigned  regard  it  as  a  work  of  great  merit,  and  com- 
mend it  to  public  patronage. 

Spencfr  H.  Cone,  Rfftis  TI.abcock, 

J.  L.  Hoi.gr,  D.  H.  Miller, 

Benjamin  M.  Hill,  J.  R.  Stonk, 

Isaac  We.'^cott,  Pharcft.lt's  Church, 

H.  J.  Eddy,  E.  T.   H.scox, 

JnsfAH  Hatt,  S.  D.  Phklps, 

Wm.  H.  Wyckoff,  N.  B.  Baldwin. 

"  Style  is  easy,  ornate,  diiecV—Howa.i-d  Malcom. 


FLETCHER^S    PUBLICATIONS. 

BURMAH'S    aHEAT    MISSIONARY, 

OR  RECORDS   OF   THB 

LIFE,  CHARACTER  AND  ACHIEVEMENTS 

OF 

Elegantly  illustrated  with  fine  Steel  Engraving's,  and  a  map  showing  at  a 

glance  the  licld  of  Judson"s  labors,  w;th  liis  voyages  and  travels, 

in  OTie  handsome  duodecimo  volume, 

PRICE      ONE     DOLLAR. 

In  the  preparation  of  this  work,  information  has  been  taken 

from  every  available  source  Instead  of  long  labor-saving  qnotatioiis  usual 
in  extended  biogiaphies,  the  journals  aud  correspondence  of  Judson  have 
been  examined  with  minute  care,  and  everything  of  j)ermanent  interest 
incon)orated  in  the  narrative.  The  volume  presents  accounts  of  the  Bur- 
man  missions,  IVoin  time  to  time,  in  a  readily  accessible  form,  without  ren- 
dering it  burdensome  with  statistical  tables.  The  progress  of  translation 
is  accurately  noted,  in  a  manner  wliich,  while  affording  a  narrative  of  the 
every  day  labors  of  the  great  translator,  avoids  unnecessary  sameness.  A 
faithful  exhibition  of  liis  views  on  tlie  controversy  concerning  faithful 
versions,  which  in  great  measure  sprung  from  liis  labors  in  translations  is 
given,  as  also  his  views  on  other  grave  questions  relating  to  missions,  &c. 
In  fine,  everything  which  tends  to  delineate  the  abundant  labors  of  Jud.son 
in  tlie  cause  of  evangelization,  will  be  found  in  such  ibrin,  that  it  is  hoped 
tliat  the  woik  will  greatly  aid  to  give  his  name  the  "everlasting  remem- 
brance '■  promised  to  the  righteous. 

Qfj-'  An  impiession  having  been  given  that  this  work  is  to  be  an  abridge- 
ment of  anotiier,  it  is  distinctly  stated  that  it  is  in  no  sense  an  abridgement, 
as  it  contains  more  original  matter  than  any  other  yet  published. 

"  The  examination  which  we  have  found  time  to  give  to  the  work,  as- 
sures us  that  the  unknown  writer  of  it  has  well  attained  the  end  which  he 
proposed  to  himself" — From  the  Watchman  and  Refltctor. 

"  We  have  seen  some  of  the  engravings,  and  consider  them  wrought  in 
the  liighest  perfection  of  tlie  art.  The  pubUc  will  hail  with  pleasure  this 
publication." — From  the  Bajjiist  Mimoiial. 

"  A  more  distinct  and  accurate  delineation  of  the  life  and  cliaracter  of 
Judson  than  has  ever  come  to  onr  knowledge  from  other  sources  'I'hough 
not  so  full  in  the  collation  of  letters,  and  other  documents,  (for  which 
Wayland's  work  must  ever  possess  great  value.)  it  is  nevertheless  more 
complete  and  accurate  a.s  a  memoir  tljan  all  its  predecessors  combined. 
Its  merits  will  give  it  a  high  rank  among  the  best  standard  works  in  Kng- 
lish  tiiography." — Frorii  the  New  York  Chronicle. 

"  V7c:  are  glad  to  announce  the  'Burmah's  Great  Missionary,'  and,  from 
what  we  know  of  it,  it  will  prove  a  popular  and  valuable  accession  to  our 
biogrHphical  literature." — From  the  Religious  Herald. 

"  It  is  well  written  and  worthy  of  an  extensive  circulation." — From  the 
Frindll  Ea]:tist  Quarterly. 

From  Howard  Malcom,  D.  D ,  President  of  the  University  at  Lewishurs^. 

"  The  style  of  the  author  is  very  easy,  sufficiently  ornate  and  always 
direct.     His  manner  of  weaving  detnclied  events  into  a  connected  narra- 
tive is  very  g"ood.     The  picture  of  Judson  is  a  good  likeness. 
From  Rev.  J.  L.  HoJge,  D.  D. 

"  The  style  is  easy  and  flowing,  often  rising  to  elegance,  wliile  he  [the 
author]  has  been  eminently  successful  in  so  connecting  the  many  wonder- 
ful events,  as  to  present  a  beautiful  and  current  history." 


FLETCHER'S    PUBLICATIONS. 

THE    AMERICAN 

BAPTIST  SABBATH-SCHOOL 


This  work  now  extensively  used  needa  but  to  be  examined  to 
secure  its  almost  exclusive  use  in  the  Baptist  denomination. 

"  It  is  what  we  have  long  needed  for  our  Schools.  We  have  look- 
ed through  it  with  some  care,  and  think  it  cannot  fail  to  meet  with 
very  general  approbation  in  our  Sunday  Schools.  The  name  of 
the  c^)mpiler,  Key.  J.  H.  Warne,  establishes  its  character  for 
soundness  in  sentiment,  and  taste,  and  judgment,  in  the  selection 
of  hymns.  He  has  embodied  in  it,  and  very  judiciously,  many 
new  hymns,  culled  from  the  productions  of  some  of  our  sweetest, 
modern  female  poets. 

We  consider  this  Hymn  Book  as  worthy  to  be  adopted  into  all 
our  Schools." 

::::::        Wm.  Shadrach, 

::::::  Joseph  H    Kennard, 

::::::       M.  J.  Rhres. 

"Our  Southern  Sabbath  Schools  would  do  well  to  obtain  the 
Baptist  Sabbath  School  Hymn  Book.  It  supplies  a  desideratum 
in  the  Baptist  denomination. — Alabama  BajHist 

"  This  is  a  new  collection  of  hymns  designed,  as  the  title  indi- 
cates, for  the  use  of  our  denomination.  It  is  designed  to  supply  a 
deficiency  which  has  been  long  felt  among  us.  The  language  is 
simplified,  and  brourrht  down  to  the  comprehf  nsion  of  children. 
This  is  a  very  attractive  feature,  and,  if  equal  to  former  collections 
in  other  respects,  (which  we  think  is  the  case.)  should  go  far  to- 
wards giving  it  the  precedence." — 3Iississi2'jn  Baptht. 

*'  This  little  book  contains  upwards  of  five  hundred  hymns, 
adapted  to  the  use  of  Sabbath  Schools  and  family  v/orship  It  is 
designed  for  the  use  of  Baptist  Sabbath  Scliools ;  and,  judging 
from  the  appropriateness  of  the  selections,  we  have  no  hesitation 
in  pronouncing  it  a  valuable  accf-'ssion  to  our  denominational  liter- 
ature, and  well  calculated  to  subserve  the  object  for  which  it  is 
designed." — Christian  Scactary. 

Every  Baptist  pastor,  as  well  as  every  Sabbath  School  teacher 
in  Baptist  churches,  has  felt  the  nefd  of  such  a  hymn  book.  In 
times  of  revival,  when  children  in  Sunday  Schools  become  con- 
verts, why  may  they  not  have  some  hymns  which  treat  on  the  or- 
dinance of  baptism  1  Hitherto  they  have  been  wanting,  but  in 
this  little  volume  they  are  presented.  The  work  is  well  got  up, 
and  ought  to  be  extensively  circulated." — New  York  Baptist  Re- 
gister. 


FLETCHER'S    PUBLICATIONS.  f^ 


A  BOOK  FOR  GENERAL  CIRCULATIOJf. 
A   BAPTIST   CHURCH, 

THE 

CHRISTIAN'S  HOME. 

BY    REV.    R.   T.   MIDDLEDITCH, 

AUTHOR  OF    "a  PEDO-BAPTIST   CHUP-CH  NO  HOME  FOR  A  BAPTIST." 


*'  A  PREVIOUS  work,  by  Mr.  M.  entitled,  "  A  Pedo-baptist 
church,  no  home  for  a  Baptist,"  having  met  with  good  accept- 
ance, has  led  him  to  prej.are  this  counterpart.  It  is  a  plain, 
pointed  and  perspicuous  argument,  presenting  in  a  brief_  space, 
many  valuable  thoughts  and  scriptural  views.  It  is  well 
adapted  to  confirm  the  wavering,  and  enlighten  the  young 
disciple." — Religrous  Herald. 

<'  This  is  one  of  the  best  vindications  of  Baptist  Church 
Polity  that  we  have  seen.  Baptist  controversial  writers  rarely 
])resent  at  length  the  rational  and  Scriptural  arguments  in 
favor  of  the  system  of  government  to  which  the  Churches 
have  rendered  their  adhesion.  This  is  one  of  our  strongest 
points,  and  although  it  has  been  insisted  on  with  learnmg  and 
power  by  a  distinguished  ^writer  of  our  own  State,  it  needs 
again  and  again  to'be  impressed  upon  the  regards  of  Christian 
men.  I^Ir.  Middleditch  writes  well.  His  reasonings  are  lucid 
and  convincing.  We  predict  for  his  book  a  great  demand."— 
Southern  Baptist. 

"For  a  work  of  religious  controversy,  it  shows  an  excellent 
spirit,  besides  presenting  an  able  view  of  the  questions  at  issue." 
N.  Y.  Tribune. 

"  This  small  volume  portrays  in  an  intelligible  and  popular  form 
the  constitution  and  order  of  Baptist  churches,  sustaining  the  con- 
stitution and  order  bv  conclusive  proofs,  and  showinc?  that  a 
Bapti'^t  church,  so  scriptural  in  structure  and  so  adnj^ted  to  per- 
sonal edification  and'Christian  usefulness,  is  really  the  home  which 
a  Christian  should  seek.  Written  in  a  spirit  of  charity,  and  at  the 
same  time  with  a  manly  regard  to  honest  and  important  convic- 
tions, it  seems  to  us  a  book  which  may  be  read  with  personal  ad- 
vantacre,  whether  by  the  Baptist,  who  would  appreciate  the  com- 
forts of  his  home,  or  the  sptious  inquirer  after  the  truth  as  it  is  in 
Jesus."— iV   Y.  Recorder. 


SSigjib  ei  ^larntHgH, 


Or  Words  of  Comfort  addressed  to  those  wlio  are  sowing  in  tears 
and  shall  reap  in  joy.  By  John  Dowltng,  D.  D.  "  Weeping  may 
endure  for  a  night,  but  joy  cometh  in  the  morning."  Contents  : — 
1.  Nights  of  weeping  and  mornings  of  joy.  2.  Night  of  convic- 
tion and  mornings  of  conversion.  3.  Night  of  desertion  and  morn- 
ing of  restoration.  4.  Night  of  trouble  and  morning  of  deliver- 
ance. 5.  Night  of  weariness  and  morning  of  Rest.  6.  Night  of 
death  and  morning  of  everlasting  life. 

Itotrljrs  nf  n  €mii  3Vawux^. 

BY   REV.  GEO.  HATT. 

This  is  a  volume  of  experience,  of  facts  and  incidents  in  the 

path  of  personal  effort. 

€^t  mrniig  mh  cf  llje  Tintf 

OR    JUVEN'ILE    INFLUENCE. 
BY  J.  H.  ROSS. 

A  good  book  for  Boys  and  Girla 

€Iir  jWarringr  3iiMrntn; 

A  treatise  on  the  nature  of  IMalrimony,  the  mutual  obligationi 

of  husband  and  wife,  with  appropriate  instruction  to  both, 

BY  REV.  S.  REMINGTON. 

Some  are  put  up  with  a  neat  marriage  cerrificate,  folded  in  like  a 

a  map,  for  the  use  of  ministers  to  present  tliose  they  marry.     Price 

from  12|  to  75  cents,  according  »o  the  style  of  binding. 


Mmm  fif  afiti  33rnn?i, 


AGENT    OF   THE    AMERICAN   BAPTIST    MISSIONARY    UNIOK. 
By  Rev.  H.  Harvev.    12jno      Price,  75  Cents. 


THE 

OP    THE 

UNITED   STATES; 

CONSISTING    OF    ELOQCENT    AND    IN6THUCTIVE    PASSAG  ii    FUOM 

THE    SERMONS    OF    200    BAPTIST    MINISTERS. 

By  JOSEPH    BELCKER,  D.  D. 

EMBELLISHED  WITH   FINE  PORTR/4,ITS. 


"The  portraits  are  worth  more  than  the  cost  of  the  entire  work, 
it  cannot  be  otherwise  .han  gratifying  to  every  Baptist,  to  find 
that  the  leading  minds  of  his  denomination  hold  "  the  truth  as 
it  is  in  Jesus"  with  such  a  vigorous  grasp,  and  commend  it  to 
others  with  so  much  power.  The  passages  are  generally  short, 
but  they  are  pure  gold.''  — Baptist  Messenger. 

"This  publication  will,  we  think,  prove  interesting  to  Baptists 
everywhere." — Religious  Herald. 

"The  selections  cover  the  whole  range  of  theology,  and  the 
volume  will  be  curious,  agreeable  and  useful." — N.  Y.  Recorder 

"Its  editor  is  a  man  if  judgment  and  taste,  and  of  considera- 
ble distinction  as  an  author ;  and  as  it  regards  the  typography, 
nothing  better  can  be  asked  or  expected.  The  parties  have  oui 
best  wishes  for  their  encouragement  and  success.  The  moral 
effect  of  the  publication  cannot  fail,  of  course,  to  be  in  favor  of 
Jeligi'^n  and  virtue." — Biblkal  Recorder. 

EHWARD  a.  FLEirilKR,  Publislier, 

NAesAO  St.,  N.  if 


DOWLIIVG'S  COXFERENCE  HTJHNS. 


The  publisher  begs  leave  to  submit  a  few  of  the  many  unsolicited  re- 
commendations of  this  little  volume,  which  have  been  received.  It  is 
eminently  adapted  for  use  in  tlie  family,  and  for  private  devotion.  The 
low  price  brings  it  within  the  means  of  all,  and  its  large  type  adapts  it  to 
the  old  as  well  as  the  young. 

A  prominent  pastor  in  Illinois  writes:  "I  received  the  copy  of  Dr. 
Dowling's  hymns,  which  you  sent  me  some  time  ago.  I  have  examined 
them  thoroughly,  and  have  shown  them  to  many  others.  The  universal 
expression  is,  'This  is  just  the  book  we  want  in  the  West.  Here  are  the 
old,  soul-cherished  revival  hymns,  which  everybody  knows,  and  wi'h 
which  everybody  is  delighted.'  The  mixed  nature  of  our  population 
here  renders  it  difficult  to  obtain  hymn  bonks  which  all  will  like.  But 
this  little  volume  is  almost  known  to  all  by  heart,  whether  from  ;he  east, 
west,  north,  or  south.  The  hymns  are  those  which  almost  every  Chris- 
tian has  learned  and  loved ;  not  for  their  poetic  elegance,  but  for  their 
epirit  and  good  religious  sentiment.  I  have  also  taken  pains  to  obtain 
copies  of  the  Social  Psalmist,  the  Christian  Melodist  (by  Br.  Bunvard), 
and  the  Baptist  Hai-p.  These  are  generally  very  good,  but  everybody 
Bays  Dr.  Dowling's  hymns  are  the  ones  for  the  West  to  use  in  conference, 
prayer,  and  inquiry  meetings.  Thousands  of  them  can  be  sold  in  this 
State,  if  they  are  introduced." 

>  Fiom  Rev.  John  M.  Peck,  of  Missouri. 

"  It  is  exactly  such  a  book  as  thousands  want  and  will  buy  in  these 
great,  central  States." 

Pro7n  the  Vermont  Gazette. 

"This  work  is  designed  especially  to  meet  a  want  existing  in  the  Bap- 
tist denomination.  The  high  literary  character  of  the  auilior  is  a  sure 
guarantee  in  this  re?pect.  But,  after  all,  it  is  not  so  much  finely  finished 
sentences  as  sotU-stirring  truths,  hymned  by  warm  hearts,  that  impart 
to  the  social  intei"view  its  greatest  zest." 

J-Yom  the  Michigan  Christian  Herald. 

"  From  a  hasty  examination,  we  sliould  think  tliat  Mr.  Dowling  had  ex- 
ecuted the  work  in  a  judicious  manner." 

From  the  Baptist  Mpviorial. 

**The  people  generally  will  say— give  us  tlie  old-fashioned  hymns,  if 
the  poetry  is  not  quite  as  good  ;  while  svme  critics  will  think  otherwise 
Most  of  the  hymns  are,  however,  unobjectionable  in  respect  to  poetic 
merit." 

From  the  Western  Christian  Joiirnal. 

"Ilymn  books  are  niultiplyini:,  but  we  shall  be  mistaken  'f  this  docs 
not  prove  to  be  e  popular  collection.  It  contains  SOU  hymns  and  many 
of  them  tlie  sweetest  in  ti.e  language." 

Prom  the  Christian  Secretary. 

"We  can  cheerfully  commend  this  little  book  to"tlie  churches,  as  being 
Dre-emineutiy  adapte<)  to  the  purposes  for  which  it  is  designed." 

EDWARD  11.  FLETCHER,  Publislier, 

Nassau  St..  N.  Y 


THE  COiNVEKSATIONAL  COMMENTARY 

COMBINIMO 

THE  QUES  nON-BOOK  AND  EXPOSITION. 

DESIGNED  FOR  THE  USE  OF  SAUGATH-SCHOCLS  AND  FAMIUEa 

Mattliew. 
Jobin* 
tlie  Actsi 

BY  WILLIAM    HAGUE. 


"  The  plan  of  Dr.  Hague  in  these  several  books  to  mea* 
the  wants  of  the  higher  classes  in  Sabbath-schools,  we  have 
never  seen  surpassed  nor  even  equalled  by  any  other  author, 
according  to  our  taste  and  judgment.'" — Christian  Chronicle. 

"  It  is  a  species  of  Commentary  quite  original,  combining 
all  the  most  valuable  results  of  archeological  and  critical 
learning,  without  the  lumber  and  parade  which  often  render 
the  perusal  of  the  ordinary  Commentaries  and  '  notes '  an 
onerous  and  unwelcome  task.  Mr.  Hague's  plan  renders 
everything  clear,  impressive,  and  practical,  so  that  the  mind 
is  held,  by  an  increasing  interest,  to  those  truths  which  are 
most  impcYtant  to  be  remembered." — Western  Watchman. 

"  The  method  of  imparting  instruction  in  this  book  is  a 
novel  but  happy  one.  The  author  remarks  in  his  preface, 
*  The  teacher  who  would  give  instruction  in  any  department 
of  knowledge  so  as  to  awaken  in  his  scholar  a  spirit  of  in- 
quiry, cannot  easily  satisfy  himself  with  abrupt  and  insu- 
lated questions  ;  in  order  to  arouse  the  mind  to  action  and 
bring  himself  into  sympathy  with  it,  he  must  communicate 
something.  The  remark  which  imparts  knowledge,  quickens 
thought,  and  then  conversation  proceeds  with  a  rational  and 
easy  flow.'  " — Mix.higan  Christian  Herald. 

Published  by  EDWARD  H.  FLETCHER, 

Nassau  Street,  New  Yom& 


THE 


BAPTIST  SCRIPTURAL  CATLuHlSM 


Havinq  examined  the  Baptist  Scriptural  Catechism  prepared  by  Rev. 
n.  C.  Fish,  we  cordially  recommend  it  to  the  churclies,  oeheving  it  to 
possess  peculiar  excellences;  among  wliicli  may  be  mentioned  especially 
the  following : 

1.  It  is  based  upon  the  catechetical  plan  of  instruction. 

2.  The  general  use  of  Scriptural  language  in  the  answers. 

3.  An  important  peculiarity  of  this  work  is,  that  it  contains  anextende<l 
examination  of  the  evidences  of  Christianity — a  department  of  biblical 
Instruction  which  has  been  too  much  neglected. 

We  earnestly  hope  that  it  may  be  generally  adopted  by  our  Sabbath 
fecnools. 


S.  n.  CONE,           Pastor 

of  First  Captii 

?t  Church,        New  York. 

S.  REMINGTON, 

Stanton  St. 

Bap. 

Ch.              « 

JOHN  DOVVLING,      " 

Broadway 

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tC                                U 

W.  S.  CLAPP,               " 

Olive  Branch  " 

U                              ({ 

LEVI  P  ARM  ELY,        " 

Sliiloh 

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«t             (( 

A.  D.  GILLETTE,         " 

Eleventh 

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"    FhiJadelphia. 

R.T.M1DDLED1TCH," 

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"    Lyons  Farms,  N.  J 

WM.  B.  TOLAN,            >« 

a 

"    Morristowm,       '• 

DAVID  B.  STOUT,       " 

First 

it 

"    Middletown,       -* 

V^M.  II.  TURTON,        " 

'• 

"    Elizabethtown.   ' 

J.  M   CARPENTER,     " 

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"    Perth  Amboy     » 

JOHN  TEASDALE,      " 

W 

,  J  Schoolers          ^ 
c    Mountain, 

H.  V.  JONES,                 " 

U 

"    Piscataway,         " 

D.  HENRY  MILLER,  " 

Mt.  Olivet 

u 

"    Yonkers,        N.I 

SAMUEL  WHITE,        " 

First 

" 

"    Staten  Island,     ♦' 

D.  F.  LEACH,                 " 

u 

"    Port  Jervis,       »• 

C.  A.  BUCKBEE,           " 

" 

"    Conway,  Mass. 

L.  O.  GRENELL,  Missionary  to  California. 

The  first  volume  is  designed  for  the  younger  members  of  the  Sabbal-i 
School,  and  the  language  is  simple  and  pliin.     Price  60cts.  per  dozen. 

Volume  second  is  for  those  more  advanced,  and  contains  a  review  of 
Jx  doctrines  and  evidences  of  Christianity.    Price  Si  20cts  per  drzen. 

EDWARD  n.  FLETCHER,  Publisher, 

NAS3AU  St.,  N.  t 


FOSTEB  OH   Missions. 


/.N  ESSAY  ON  THE  SKEPTICISM   OF  THE  CHURCH 
BY  EEV.  JOSEPH  P.  TEOMPSON, 

PA8T0B  OF  THE  BROADWAY  TABERNACLE  CHURCH. 

(Frovi  the  New  York  Evangelist.) 
This  essay  of  Foster's  is  one  of  the  grandest  and  most  eloquent  of  all 
hia  writings,  the  reproduction  of  which,  in  this  inviting  form,  will  do 
much  good.  The  missionary  work  assumes  a  dignity  and  importance, 
tander  the  glowing  tints  of  his  masterly  pencil,  which  ought  to  shame 
the  languid  interest  of  the  church,  and  whioh  very  naturally  and  appro- 
priately suggests  Mr.  Thompson's  preliminary  essay  on  the  skepticisna 
of  the  church.  This  essay  is  very  well  written,  and  an  impressive  pres- 
entation af  the  causes  and  elFects  of  a  deficient  feith  in  the  promises  of 
God,  in  respect  to  the  world's  conversion.  The  work  is  neatly  printed, 
sud  we  hope  will  find  many  readers. 

{From  the  Ne20  York  Recorder.) 
This  is  the  substance  of  a  discourse  preached  by  its  celebrated  author 
and  subsequently  prepared  by  him  for  the  press.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
»ble  and  comprehensive  discussions  of  the  subject  of  missions  that  haa 
ever  been  written.  It  contains  that  remarkable  fragment  of  Foster's,  en- 
titled *'  God  Invisible,"  conceived  in  the  very  spirit  of  the  old  Hebrew 
prophets.  The  preliminary  Essay,  by  Rev.  J.  P.  Thompson,  adds  to  the 
value  of  the  original  work. 

(Frem  the  Baptist  Messenger.) 
John  Foster  on  Missions,  is  all  that  need  be  said.    To  say  more,  would 
^like  an  attempt  to  gild  the  sun. 

(From  the  Christian  Chronicle.) 
It  is  one  of  the  grandest  productions  of  its  author,  exhibiting,  in  a  high 
degree,  the  comprehensive  grasp  of  thought,  the  lofty  sweep  of  imagin- 
ation, and  the  rugged  and  massive  style  which  made  him  for  bo  many 
years  the  acknowledged  Jupiter  Tonans  among  English  Dissenters. 

PUBLISHED    BY 

£I>1VARI>    IK.    FliETCHER, 

NASSAU  STREET   NEW  YORK. 


giTt^Toks, 

IN    PLAIN     AND     ELEGANT     BINDINGI 

FOR    SALE    BY 

EDWARD   H.    FLETCHER, 

NASSAU  STREET,  NEW  YORK, 


MISCELLANIES. 

BY  WILLIAM  R.  WILLIAMS,  D  D. 
Plain  12mc,  $1  25 ;   do.  8vo,  $1  75 ;   half  morocco,  $2  '25  ;   cloth,  fi 
gilt,  $3  00 ;  Turkey,  full  gilt,  $5  00 ;  do.,  clasps,  $6  GO. 

BOWLING'S    CONFERENCE    HYMNS. 

Plain,  25c. ;   gilt,  40c. 

THE  LIGHT   OF   THE  WEEK: 

l/r,  tne  Advantages  of  the  Sabbath  to  the  Working  Claas( 

A    PRIZE    ESSAY, 
Plain,  25c. ;  cloth,  full  gilt,  60c. 

PROVIDENCE    UNFOLDED. 

BY  ALEXANDER  CARSON,  LL.D. 
Plain,  75c. ;  cloth,  full  gilt,  $2  00, 

LIFE    OF    ALEXANDER    CARSON,  LL.D. 

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Date  Due 


INTED      IN  U.  S.  A. 


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